Those Turnabout Blues
by A. Joria
Summary: Phoenix and Edgeworth face an ethical quandary as they struggle to prioritize love and the law. From opposite sides of the bench in the midst of a series of complex and interconnected cases, they begin to realize that romance and rivalry really don't mix...and that the adversarial spirit of the courtroom can destroy all sorts of beautiful things.
1. Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Happy February 14th, everyone!

So…I'm aware that I have an unfinished story lying around waiting to be attended to in this fandom. I do plan on getting back to it eventually, but for the moment the inspiration just doesn't seem to be striking. I'd actually sort of promised myself I'd stay away from this fandom to work on my Persona 3 fic for a while (and I still do intend to focus on that one, but…)

A few days ago, I was sitting in the car listening to the music on my phone, and this song came on; "Bell Bottom Blues" by Eric Clapton. I can't exactly explain why, but I immediately began thinking of Phoenix and Edgeworth (apparently that song conjures up some very shippy thoughts and feelings for me), and before I knew it, I'd thought of a whole story that I wanted to write.

It's Valentine's Day; a good day for shipping. Let's see if this goes anywhere. I make you no promises about fast updates or quick finishes, but hopefully this will be fun for everybody.

Sincerely,

Ari

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**Those Turnabout Blues**

By Ari Moriarty

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**Chapter One **

**February 14, 2029**

**7:30 PM**

**The Gatewater Hotel Restaurant**

Phoenix Wright sat alone at a table in the midst of the milling crowd, and was impressed.

_Wow, _he thought. _This place never gets this crowded! I heard they were thinking of closing it down and replacing it with some other chain, probably because the food here isn't actually all that good. Just look at it, now, though! It's packed! I guess that must be because it's Valentine's Day…maybe none of these people could get a reservation anywhere else. _

He glanced down at his watch, then turned and frowned at the door.

An annoyed-looking man in a frilly collar and mauve suit was having what looked like a heated argument with the hostess at the counter.

_Oh, _thought Phoenix. _There he is. Finally…_

As Phoenix watched, Edgeworth pushed his way through the crowd around the salad bar, heading for Phoenix's table.

"My apologies," he muttered, sinking into the chair across from Phoenix and shooting a dark look at the hostess, who was looking a little pink around the ears. "I had some trouble getting in. Apparently, these tables are all reserved from now until after ten o'clock. Have you been waiting long?"

"Huh? Uh…no, not really. Actually, I just got here," insisted Phoenix quickly.

_Poor hostess, _he thought, giving her one last, quick sympathetic look before returning his attention to Edgeworth. _Looks like he really gave her a hard time…_

"You're lying," accused Edgeworth, scowling at Phoenix over the pathetic fake flowers in the center of the table. "I'm aware that I'm incredibly late."

"Wait, no, I'm not…!" Phoenix trailed off and bit his lip. "Anyway, 'long' is relative. I've only been here maybe twenty minutes. It's not a big deal."

Edgeworth sighed. "It's no one's fault but mine, really. I should have known better than to try and leave the office before seven o'clock on the busiest day of the year."

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I've sure had to argue a lot of Valentine's Day murder cases over the years. For some reason, this holiday seems to put everybody in a murderous mood."

Edgeworth glared over at the vibrantly tacky pink and red heart decorations that were festooning the nearby restaurant wall.

"I wonder why," he muttered.

Phoenix shrugged. "I don't know. They say a lot of breakups happen on Valentine's Day, because people suddenly realize how fed up they are with their partners, or maybe they get mad because their spouse forgot to get them a present or something. Murders are a lot like breakups. They're both crimes of passion, if you want to look at it that way."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow, then snorted a laugh. "You're unexpectedly philosophical this evening," he said.

"You think so? Uh…thanks, I think." Phoenix rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, and cleared his throat. "Uh, well, anyway-!"

A pink-aproned waiter approached their table and cut him off.

"Sirs," he said, looking a little tired, "I'm sorry for the wait. May I start you on some drinks?"

"We'll have a bottle of wine," replied Edgeworth before Phoenix had a chance to argue with him. "Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012, if you please."

"Oh, uh…right. No problem." The waiter nodded hurriedly, then took a quick, furtive and suspicious look between Phoenix and Edgeworth. "Whatever you say…"

He hurried off, and Edgeworth frowned after him.

"That man is extremely rude," he remarked.

Phoenix was feeling a little uncomfortable. "H-hey, Edgeworth," he began, "was it just me, or did you get the sense that the waiter was giving us kind of a weird look?"

Edgeworth ignored the question.

"You'd better decide what you want to eat, quickly," he said instead, pointing at Phoenix's menu. "We'll want to order as soon as the waiter returns, or we might never be served, judging by how busy it seems to be, here."

"You're the one who wanted to go out for dinner on Valentine's Day," retorted Phoenix. "Actually…why exactly did you want to have dinner tonight? Was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?"

Edgeworth nodded. "I discovered this morning," he said, "that you're scheduled to defend Ms. Brooke Hart in court, tomorrow. I was surprised to see that neither Mr. Justice nor Ms. Cykes are planning to accompany you."

Phoenix shrugged. "They're both busy," he said. "Like you said, it's that time of the year,."

"Indeed," murmured Edgeworth. "Well, I felt it was only fair to let you know with as much advance notice as possible that I am planning to argue for the prosecution on that case. This will be our first courtroom battle in some time."

Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, really? You're prosecuting?" He laughed, a little nervously. "So much for an easy day in court, huh? Oh well. Uh, thanks for the head's up."

Edgeworth nodded. "As I'm sure you're already well aware, the nature of our personal relationship outside of the courtroom will not-!"

"You mean," interrupted Phoenix, "our friendship? You can say it, you know. Go on, try it. Friends. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. It's not actually a bad word."

Edgeworth cleared his throat and glowered at him. "As I was saying," he went on, "our 'friendship' will not afford you any special treatment in the courtroom. We may have gotten used to a certain level of amiability in our personal lives, but that doesn't change the fact that-!"

"Wow," muttered Phoenix. "You really have trouble admitting that you might actually like me, don't you? Seriously. How long have we been friends, Edgeworth? It's been more than twenty years, right?"

For some reason, Edgeworth looked slightly uncomfortable. "I…suppose it has been that long, yes," he agreed quietly. "But you're avoiding the point, Wright. What I'm attempting to say is-!"

"Yeah, I know, I get it," insisted Phoenix, nodding. "Don't worry, I'm not expecting you to go easy on me. Anyway, I'm not worried about this one. Ms. Hart is about as obviously innocent as any woman could possibly be. With you behind the prosecutor's bench, I guess I'll have to give up on any delusions of a quick trial, but one way or another I'm going to win this one. You're stubborn, but you're not stupid, Edgeworth. In the end, even you're going to have to admit that she didn't do it."

Edgeworth stared thoughtfully into his water glass. "I suppose we'll see," he murmured. "If I were you, I wouldn't hold your breath, Wright. I've seen the evidence, and there's a very strong case against your client."

Phoenix just shook his head. "Have you ever met her?"

"Ms. Hart?" Edgeworth frowned. "No, I haven't. I don't see how that's relevant."

"When you meet her," returned Phoenix, "then you'll know. She's not a murderer, Edgeworth."

Edgeworth let out an exasperated little sigh. " I had thought that even an embarrassingly idealistic creature like you would have known better than to judge an alleged murderer based solely on physical appearance."

"It's got nothing to do with what she looks like," retorted Phoenix. "It's just…it's hard to describe, but when she says she didn't kill that guy, she's telling the truth. I'm sure of it."

"You trust her," muttered Edgeworth darkly.

Phoenix nodded. "I do, yeah. Of course I do. I'm her lawyer."

"And that in itself," muttered Edgeworth, "is hardly a reasonable basis for trust."

Phoenix shook his head. "It has to be," he said. "You can't defend someone if you won't believe in them. I've spent a lot of time with Brooke, and-!"

"Brooke," sighed Edgeworth. "So, you're already on a first name basis. I don't know why I continue to hope that someday you'll begin to take your defense a bit more seriously. As you say, it's been more than twenty years. Perhaps now I'm the one being unrealistic."

Phoenix was starting to get annoyed. "What? That's not fair, Edgeworth. I take all of my cases seriously, and you know it. My clients are important to me. That's why I take the time to get to know them. The extra effort makes a difference."

"A poor choice of words on my part," muttered Edgeworth. "Perhaps the word I was looking for was 'professionally.' You're constantly forgetting that your clients are just that – clients. They aren't your personal friends, or people you're intimately associated with. They are just as likely – no, much more likely to be lying to you than any other stranger you might meet on the street. Miss Mia Fey did you no favors during your first few years at the bar, filling your head with preposterous nonsense about truth and belief in your clients."

Phoenix narrowed his eyes. "Hey," he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Edgeworth, "you leave Mia out of this. She never steered me wrong."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "Really? Never? What about in the case of the State vs. Matt Engarde, or in your more recent defense of Mr. Iago Bleek?"

"Bleek was innocent," mumbled Phoenix. "No matter what the media says, or what he went on to do after he got his verdict. Engarde…that was a different story. I didn't trust the guy, but what choice did I have?"

"My point is," began Edgeworth, "that-!"

"Look," sighed Phoenix. "Forget it. We've been through this a hundred times. Anyway, you don't have to worry. I've got all the evidence I need to back up my case in court tomorrow. Like I said, even you are going to have to see reason. It'll be fine."

Edgeworth frowned, clearly unconvinced.

"Let it go," suggested Phoenix tiredly, running a hand through his hair and stifling a yawn. "Let's just enjoy a nice dinner, okay?"

"Very well," murmured Edgeworth. "I've given you your warning."

"Yeah," muttered Phoenix. "I hear you, loud and clear. You're going to be difficult, tomorrow."

For the first time, Edgeworth almost smiled. "Of the two of us," he suggested, "I'm hardly the difficult one."

Phoenix didn't have a chance to respond, because at that moment, the waiter returned with a bottle of wine, and two glasses. Both men took the opportunity to order their dinner, and as the waiter returned to the kitchen, Edgeworth poured Phoenix and then himself a glass of wine.

"Uh…even if I do win tomorrow," mumbled Phoenix, "I'm not sure how I'm going to pay for this. Isn't this kind of an expensive wine?"

"It's my treat, obviously," said Edgeworth.

"W-wait," stammered Phoenix. "I can't let you do that. That's-!"

Edgeworth ignored him. "To your health, Mr. Wright," he said. "And, of course, to a fair trial in the morning, whatever the outcome."

"Sure, I'll drink to that." Phoenix raised his glass, and they both drank. "But I'm still planning on finding a way to pay for it."

"Overruled," retorted Edgeworth gently. "Now, what are you-?"

At a table behind them, a man in a too-tight suit suddenly sank down to one knee, and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket.

"Mariah," he murmured shakily, opening the box and holding it out to the obviously startled and panicky woman in the chair opposite him. "I…I've wanted to ask you this for a long time, but...will you m-marry me?"

"Oh god," muttered Edgeworth, turning quickly away from the spectacle.

Phoenix winced. "Wow, look at her face. This poor sap's about to have a really rough night."

They both watched as Mariah staggered to her feet, glanced desperately around the room for a minute, then shook her head.

"I…I'm so sorry, Logan," she whispered hoarsely, "but I…I can't! I'm…I'm in love with Michael! We kept meaning to tell you, but-!"

"What?" Logan's mouth fell open in shock. "What are you talking about? You and…and Michael? But, I thought you were just friends! Just…just really close friends."

The entire restaurant had now gone totally silent. Everyone was watching the little soap opera scene at the back table.

"I can't believe it," hissed Logan, getting slowly to his feet and snapping the velvet box shut. He clenched both his fists at his side, shook his head and gritted his teeth. "That…that bastard. How could you? How could he?"

"Logan, please," begged Mariah. "Don't-!"

"I'll KILL that asshole," shouted Logan, pounding his fist angrily on the table. "Do you hear me, Michael? I'm gonna KILL YOU!"

Both of Mariah's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide and terrified.

Edgeworth took a lazy sip of his wine.

"I detest this holiday," he remarked to Phoenix as Logan ran out of the restaurant, followed at a safe distance by a sobbing Mariah.

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "Yeah…I get that."

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **If you're reading, I'd love it if you'd leave some feedback. I'm always curious to hear what you think.

Either way, happy V-Day!


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **Thanks to everyone who read the previous chapter! Oh, just a quick clarification – this story is a stand-alone. That mean it does NOT fall in the timeline or the universe of "To Turnabout Eternally," my other story.

I've got a couple of hours before work, so maybe I can get out another chapter right now…let's see.

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**Chapter Two**

**February 15, 2029**

**11:30 AM**

**Courtroom No. 1**

The next morning, the trial of the State vs. Brooke Hart had been in full swing for over two hours already and, just as Edgeworth had predicted, it wasn't going nearly as well as Phoenix had hoped.

"Your Honor," Edgeworth was saying, doing his best not to let Phoenix catch his eye, "I believe that there really is no more room for doubt. Based on the abundant evidence and the testimonies of our two witnesses, it seems obvious that this woman, Brooke Hart, murdered her employer, Mr. Gray Skye in a very calculated and pre-meditated act of what she no doubt viewed as righteous revenge for his despicable conduct."

_I almost dislike having to do this, _thought Edgeworth, wrinkling his nose in distaste. _No doubt the world is better off without the disgusting, abusive Mr. Skye. Ms. Hart had reason, without question, to feel both threatened and angry, and she may have done us all a great service by murdering this animal, but…the law is there to protect us and ensure us fair and equable treatment. Those who take the law into their own hands, for even the most appreciable reasons, are criminals…vigilantes. _

"Hold it," shouted Phoenix from the other side of the room. "O-objection! Edgeworth, how can you say it was a pre-meditated crime? You can't prove that!"

Edgeworth glanced over at Phoenix, and winced.

_He looks terrible, _he thought. _He's a remarkably bad loser, and defeat doesn't suit him._

Phoenix was a mess. Drops of sweat were pouring down his face, and he kept staring back and forth between Edgeworth and the defendant with a desperate, wide-eyed look on his face that Edgeworth knew all too well from the many, many near-misses and close calls that he'd watched his longtime friend and adversary have in court over the years.

"You can't prove it," repeated Phoenix belligerently. "Seriously, Edgeworth, you-!"

"Wright," interrupted Edgeworth quietly. "If you'll recall the testimony of Mrs. Blake, the housekeeper, when Mr. Skye's body was found it was tied to the bedposts with bungee cords. The wrists were duct-taped together to limit movement, and a leather whip was shoved down the man's throat. Death occurred from a combination of blood loss due to repeated beatings, as well as suffocation You cannot possibly try to convince me that the murder was NOT pre-meditated."

"What? What are you talking about?" Phoenix swallowed hard. "None of that means anything! How can you-?"

"Your Honor," murmured Edgeworth, inclining his head politely at the judge. "I will put the question to you. Do you regularly carry, on your person, either a whip, bungee cord, or sufficient duct tape to restrain a grown man?"

"M-me?" The judge looked startled, and then unexpectedly flushed bright red. "C-certainly not! What on earth would I-?"

"Of course you don't," agreed Edgeworth. "In that case, if you were found with any of these things on your person, it would be reasonable to assume that you had quite deliberately planned to have those things about you, and had taken pains to procure them. Correct?"

"Y…yes, I suppose so," muttered the judge, a bit confusedly.

"As do I," said Edgeworth. "I ask you, Your Honor, and good people of this courtroom; What possible reason could Ms. Hart have had to be carrying duct tape, bungee cords and a whip that day, unless it was part of her plan to commit his murder?"

"Uh…well, it was Valentine's Day," mumbled Phoenix from the defense's bench. "I mean, I guess they could have just been-!"

Edgeworth cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Phoenix suddenly blushed.

"A-anyway," Phoenix went on, "none of that matters. How can you be so sure that those things belong to Ms. Hart, anyway?"

Edgeworth gave him a doubtful look.

"Have you been paying attention, Wright? You're losing your touch," he said quietly. "The duct tape was found to be covered in Ms. Hart's fingerprints, as was the whip. No doubt if we had been able to lift any fingerprints off of the cord, we'd have found that it, too, belonged to or had been recently handled by Ms. Hart."

"Ack," whispered Phoenix, gritting his teeth and glancing helplessly over at the defendant again. "N-no, that's…I'd forgotten all about that."

The judge just shook his head. "Mr. Wright," he said apologetically, "I'm afraid that Mr. Edgeworth's case is very clear. If you're unable to provide any further cause to doubt this woman's guilt, then I see no reason why I shouldn't pass down my verdict."

"No, please, Your Honor," insisted Phoenix. "Please, just give me one more chance to get this right."

He was frankly begging now, and Edgeworth averted his eyes, embarrassed and not enjoying this at all.

_I'm terribly sorry, Wright, _he thought, shaking his head. _There's no way out, now. For once, even you will have to accept that you've put your trust in your wrong client. Please, just don't make any more of a fool of yourself than you already have. Accept your defeat gracefully…for all of our sakes._

"Well, Mr. Wright?" The judge raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have any more evidence to show this court?"

"O-of course I do," stammered Phoenix, swallowing hard and rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "I…evidence, I…I must have something…"

For a long, tense, moment, the court waited in silence while Phoenix stared straight in front of him, obviously thinking as fast as he could.

"I…GAH!" Suddenly, Phoenix slumped over on the bench, dropping his head into his hands and shaking all over. "There's nothing. I've got nothing left. I…I can't win."

_Not even you, _thought Edgeworth, _can win every case, Wright. _

"Well then," said the judge, looking sympathetically at Phoenix. "I suppose that leaves me no choice. This court finds Brooke Hart guilty of the murder of Gray Skye. Court is now adjourned."

The judge banged his gavel, and the trial was over.

As the various onlookers in the gallery began standing up and chattering excitedly amongst themselves, the judge, looking tired, descended from the bench and retreated off somewhere into the recesses of the courthouse. Edgeworth found that he was unable to tear himself away from Phoenix, who was still slumped over behind the defense's bench, miserable and dejected.

"Ms. Hart," announced the bailiff, appearing beside her and taking her none too gently by the arm. "Let's go."

"Mr. Wright," whispered Brooke Hart, looking up at Phoenix out of big, terrified blue eyes.

Phoenix straightened up suddenly and took a few quick steps towards her, then stopped, looking confused, glancing back and forth between her and the bailiff.

"Brooke," he mumbled confusedly, "I…uh-!"

"Sorry, Mr. Wright," muttered the bailiff awkwardly, beginning to lead Ms. Hart away. "Better luck next time, I guess."

Phoenix stood and watched in horror as the bailiff and Ms. Hart disappeared through the big double doors, leaving him and Edgeworth alone in the courtroom.

"I…I can't believe it," whispered Phoenix.

Edgeworth took a hesitant step towards him. "Wright," he began.

Slowly, Phoenix turned on his heel and met Edgeworth's eyes.

"You," he said.

Edgeworth became aware of a subtle change in the atmosphere of the room as Phoenix's eyes narrowed, and he pointed an accusing finger directly at Edgeworth's chest.

"You," he shouted. "How could you?"

Edgeworth took an involuntary step back.

"What?" He scowled "How could I what, exactly? How could I win? I'm aware that you are unaccustomed to defeat, but surely even you can accept that once in a while, even the great legal hero, Phoenix Wright, might be wrong!"

Phoenix just shook his head. "I wasn't wrong," he insisted. "I wasn't wrong, and you know it. She didn't kill him, Edgeworth. You know she didn't do it."

"I know nothing of the sort," retorted Edgeworth. "You were there. You participated in the trial. You saw all of the evidence that I did, and His Honor was not mistaken when he said that the case against her was a particularly damning one. There's no doubt whatsoever of this woman's guilt, Wright. The fact that you struggle to cope with your own fallibility does not change that fact."

Phoenix's eyes had gone bloodshot now, and he almost looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to cry or scream.

_I warned him about this case, _thought Edgeworth miserably. _I warned him, but the infuriating man never listens. He has no one to blame but himself._

That knowledge, unfortunately, didn't make Edgeworth feel any less ridiculously and inexplicably guilty.

"She was an abused woman," muttered Phoenix, running his hands desperately through his hair and making himself look like even more of a mess than he already did. "She'd been tortured by this guy. She'd run out of other options, she was-!"

"Then you admit," Edgeworth heard himself say, "that she did kill him. You confess as much."

Phoenix glared at him. "She had no choice," he blazed, slamming both of his fists down on the bench in a gesture that Edgeworth found strangely and uncomfortably familiar. "He might have killed her! Where's your sense of justice? You-?"

"I believe," said Edgeworth, as calmly and quietly as he could, "that it is your sense of justice that is at fault. She took a man's life, as I see that we've both come to accept. She must face the legal consequences. Surely you understand that far better than most."

"I…" Phoenix started to respond, but then choked it off, shook his head, and turned away for a moment.

For a long while, there was heavy silence between them, as Phoenix took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Wright," began Edgeworth again, when it looked like Phoenix had finally gotten control of himself.

Phoenix didn't let him finish.

"All right," said Phoenix, a bit more composedly. "Okay…I'll admit it. You were right. I went into this trial honestly convinced that she was innocent, and you proved me wrong. I'll accept it. She killed him. You got me…and you win."

The disgusted look in Phoenix's eyes made it very clear that this wasn't a congratulatory speech.

"But," Phoenix went on, biting down hard on his lip and glaring straight into Edgeworth's eyes, "there are some days, Miles, when I wonder if all that stuff they used to say about you is true or not; about you being an automaton, a demon prosecutor, stuff like that. Sometimes, I wonder if you even have a soul."

Edgeworth flinched as that blow struck home.

_I thought you knew me better than that, _he thought. _You're a unnecessarily cruel creature when you're angry, Phoenix Wright. Highly irrational. I..._

Phoenix had already turned to leave, and was heading quickly for the courtroom doors. Edgeworth stood and watched as Phoenix exited the room, listening to the echo of slamming doors as it reverberated through the court.

After Phoenix had gone, Edgeworth stood behind the bench for a few minutes, trying to shut out the all-too-persistent echoes of Phoenix's final words as they reverberated through his brain.

_Sometimes, I wonder if you even have a soul._

Edgeworth closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then he collected his papers and his wounded pride, and headed out the back door towards his own office.

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **That's all I have time for at the moment, but I've already got the next chapter outlined, so maybe I can write it after work!


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **I've been a good girl all day and I've finished a great deal of my nasty yucky adult work, so I get to write another chapter before it's time to go back to work tonight. Huzzah!

Several of you in your comments and reviews have mentioned hoping that Trucy steps in to save the day. There's…some truth to that.

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**February 15, 2029**

**10:00 PM**

**The Wright Anything Agency**

Late that night, Phoenix sat alone at his desk in a darkened office. The only light in the room emanated from his laptop screen, and he'd spent the last few hours going over and over the files and notes he'd collected on the Brooke Hart case.

_I guess she was guilty after all, _he thought, _but that doesn't change anything, as far as I'm concerned. She was still a victim. Maybe this really is all my fault. If I'd figured out what was going on right from the beginning, and if I'd known she'd done it, we could have changed our plea. We could have pled 'Justifiable Homicide' instead of murder. I could have made a great case for that. Not that it matters now. Like it or not, it's too late, now. If only I'd been paying closer attention. I hate to admit it, but Edgeworth was right. I can't let myself be blinded by how much I want to believe in my client. I'm not helping them by doing that. If I really want to make a difference in these people's lives, then I have to be willing to trust myself more than I trust them, I think. Something like that, anyway._

There was a plastic cup sitting next to the computer. Phoenix picked it up, downed the contents in one gulp, and then poured himself another from out of a nearby cardboard box.

Suddenly, there was an aggressive knock on the front door.

_Huh? _Phoenix blinked, sat up quickly, then wished he hadn't. He felt a little dizzy, and sometime during the past hour, the world had begun to spin.

_Wait, _he thought, _who could that be? There's no way it's a client at this hour. Maybe Apollo or Athena forgot something in their offices, again? Maybe they…also forgot their keys?_

Again, there was that loud, almost irritated-sounding knock on the door.

"Uh, c-coming," mumbled Phoenix, sliding out of his chair and making his way into the front foyer.

When he pulled the door open, he found Edgeworth standing on the other side, glowering at him, his whole face and demeanor radiating annoyance and disgust.

"Ack," mumbled Phoenix, taking a hasty step back. "Uh…Edgeworth. What…what are you doing here?"

Edgeworth pointed an accusing finger right at Phoenix's chest.

"I could ask you the same question," he snapped. "It's after ten o'clock. Why are you still in your office, with all the lights off? You're not researching any new cases at present, as far as I know."

_It's…just a little weird that you seem to keep tabs on all of my cases, _thought Phoenix. _I mean, I get that you're the Chief Prosecutor, and all, but there are hundreds of defense attorneys in this district. Do you monitor what all of them are doing, all the time, or do you save the Big Brother act especially for me?_

"I, uh…had some work to finish," mumbled Phoenix. "Seriously, why are you-?"

"You smell like boxed wine," interrupted Edgeworth, making a face. "Unbelievable. Then again, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"What? Surprised by what?" Phoenix was starting to get irritated." What exactly is going on, here?"

Stepping into the offices, Edgeworth carefully closed the door behind him.

"Your daughter called me," he informed Phoenix. "It seems, she heard something of your trial today on the college news, and she has been trying to contact you all evening. Apparently you aren't answering your phone. There's nothing whatever wrong with Trucy Wright's brain, so she made the obvious assumption; that you were probably sitting in your office, alone, drinking heavily and feeling sorry for yourself. It seems she was absolutely right."

_Trucy usuall_y is, thought Phoenix. _I guess my little girl knows her Daddy. What'd she call Edgeworth for, though?_

"As I understand it," Edgeworth went on, "Maya is out of town on business relating to her status as head of the Fey clan."

_Oh, right, _realized Phoenix. _So that's why she called Edgeworth instead. I hope Maya's coming back, soon. I need to talk to her about…things. I think I'd just feel better if she was here. _

Edgeworth shook his head and scowled. "You should be ashamed of yourself," he told Phoenix. "You're drunk, and you're irresponsibly ignoring your own daughter's calls. This is no way for a grown man to behave."

"Hey," protested Phoenix, "I didn't know she was trying to call me. I must have put my phone charger somewhere, but now I can't find it, so my battery died. It's been off since this morning. I don't dodge Trucy's calls…and I'm not drunk."

Even as he said it, Phoenix was hit with a sudden wave of wooziness, and he teetered a little on his feet.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at him.

"The evidence suggests otherwise," he said. "Don't try to use the old 'it's only grape juice' excuse on me, Wright."

Phoenix rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Wine is grape juice," he argued feebly. "It…comes from grapes, right?"

"I'm reasonably certain that no real fruit whatsoever is used in the concocting boxed wines," returned Edgeworth.

_Okay, _admitted Phoenix to himself. _Maybe I'm a little tipsy. Sorry, Trucy…_

"It's shameful," muttered Edgeworth.

Phoenix glared at him. "Look, you don't get it, do you? I'm allowed to be a little upset. You know what they do to people who are found guilty of murder, right?"

"Obviously," snorted Edgeworth.

"They kill them," continued Phoenix, only dimly aware that Edgeworth had even spoken. "They put them to death, Miles."

Edgeworth blinked at him. "I don't remember giving you permission to use my first name," he said.

"Shut up," suggested Phoenix, wagging a finger at him. He was aware that he was being a little ridiculous, but at this point his head was really too foggy for him to care. "Look, they're going to kill her, Miles."

"You said that," sighed Edgeworth. "I know."

"And," Phoenix insisted, trying to build to his climax, "and, Miles, because that is your name, it's my fault that she's going to die. I sent her to her death. If I'd won that case, then-!"

"Then it would essentially have been a miscarriage of justice," interrupted Edgeworth, a bit more quietly. "We've both agreed that the woman was guilty."

"Hey," shouted Phoenix, "she's going to die! I killed her!"

Edgeworth winced. "You're shouting," he said. "You didn't kill her. This histrionic nonsense is just the wine getting the better of you."

"She's going to die," muttered Phoenix defiantly, his shoulders slumping as he repeated the words to himself inside his head.

Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, Edgeworth took Phoenix roughly by the shoulder, turned him around, and began guiding him towards the door.

"It's exactly as I've always told you," he said. "You shouldn't allow yourself to get so personally attached to your clients. You're only needlessly hurting yourself by insisting that every case be a deeply emotional experience. We may be crusaders for justice, but we are also, essentially, employees of the state. It's a job, Wright. You need to try to look at it that way. It would cause you less pain."

"She's in pain," mumbled Phoenix. "Hey, where are we going?"

Edgeworth pulled open the door, and dragged Phoenix out into the night.

"You're going home," he said. "You're obviously in no state to walk, so I'm driving you there. Please be kind enough to refrain from vomiting all over the backseat of my car, if you can."

Until that moment, Phoenix hadn't been feeling nauseous. As soon as Edgeworth brought it up however, Phoenix's stomach begin to churn.

"Urk," he muttered. "I'll…uh…n-no problem."

Edgeworth shot him an exasperated look.

As always, Edgeworth's expensive sports car looked ridiculous and out of place sitting in front of Phoenix's nondescript little attorney's office. Edgeworth pulled open the passenger side door and half-dumped, half-shoved Phoenix into the seat. Then he shut the door on him, strode around to the driver's side, and started the car.

For a few long moments, they drove through the streets in silence, while Phoenix waited uncomfortably for his stomach to calm down, hoping his head would start clearing up soon.

"Uh…hey," he began awkwardly. "Edgeworth…sorry about this."

Edgeworth just waved a dismissive hand at him. "Yes," he agreed "I'll admit that you are a rather sorry sight."

"No," insisted Phoenix, "I mean, you shouldn't have to do this. I haven't really gotten used to this whole long-distance fatherhood thing, yet. Now that Trucy's not here to keep me in line, I keep slipping back into my old ways from the borscht days. Might have been different if Maya had been around, but-"

"Honestly," interrupted Edgeworth, "I'm not sure how or why she bothers to put up with you. Maya Fey is an impressive woman. She is, without a doubt, the most powerful spirit medium in the country. She doesn't need to waste her time babysitting inebriated lawyers."

"Yeah, well, it's not like it happens every day," muttered Phoenix. "I'm not a chronic drunk. And, anyway, I've saved her life a few times, so there's that."

"Yes," agreed Edgeworth. "I suppose there is that."

Edgeworth turned a sharp corner, and Phoenix had to clutch the side of the car as his head started spinning violently again.

When he was sure that it was safe to open his mouth, Phoenix took a deep breath, then glanced over at Edgeworth out of the corner of his eye.

"What," asked Edgeworth without looking at him. "What is it? You're staring at me."

"I was just wondering," said Phoenix. "What's your excuse?"

"What?" Edgeworth blinked. "My excuse for what? You're not making sense."

"I just mean," repeated Phoenix, "that Maya's got an excuse for hanging around me all the time. She's my best friend, but even if she wasn't, she owes me for saving her life, repeatedly."

Edgeworth grunted in acknowledgement as they came to a stop light.

"So," insisted Phoenix, "why do you do it? You don't have any good reason to spend time with me, as far as I can tell."

"You've saved my life as well," Edgeworth reminded him.

Phoenix shrugged. "Yeah, but I get the sense that you gave up being grateful for that a while ago. Anyway, you weren't guilty, so the way you see it, it was just justice, right? It's not like I did anything special. I was just doing my job…isn't that it?"

This time, Edgeworth didn't say anything for a moment.

"All I'm saying," Phoenix began again, "is that-!"

"Is that I'm unlikely to understand so complex an emotion as gratitude," interjected Edgeworth quietly, never taking his eyes off the road for a second. "I am, after all, a soulless legal machine, as I understand it."

Phoenix winced. "Uh, look, Edgeworth, when I said that-!"

"It doesn't matter," said Edgeworth sharply.

"No," said Phoenix adamantly, "it does matter. I was upset, obviously. It was an idiotic thing to say. I'm sorry. I was acting like an ass."

Again, Edgeworth didn't respond.

"Okay?" Phoenix turned and tried to peer into Edgeworth's face, but discovered that he really couldn't focus on him. "I mean it, I'm sorry I said that stuff. You didn't deserve it."

"I…yes," mumbled Edgeworth eventually. "I suppose…apology accepted, Wright."

Phoenix was pretty pleased with that." Good," he said." Great, um…yeah. Thanks."

For some reason, there were an unusual number of cars on the road for ten o'clock at night.

"This traffic is weird," said Phoenix.

Edgeworth shrugged. "All due to Valentine's weekend parties, I suppose. After all, it is Friday.

_Oh yeah, _thought Phoenix. _I forgot…it's the big holiday weekend, starting tonight. _

"Hey," he said aloud to Edgeworth, settling himself back against the seat and closing his eyes in hopes that doing so would stop the spinny, nauseating sensations. "Hey, you know, it's Valentine's Day."

"No, it was Valentine's Day yesterday," returned Edgeworth.

"Well, yeah," agreed Phoenix, "but it's the weekend, anyway, so everyone's still celebrating. Isn't there somebody you'd rather be with on a big romantic holiday? I mean…you had dinner with a work colleague. We're not even actuallycolleagues. We're pretty much enemies…kind of."

Edgeworth said nothing as they finally managed to turn a corner and transfer into another lane.

"Is that what we are, Miles?" Phoenix found that for some reason, Edgeworth's silence was starting to annoy him. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Unfortunately," muttered Edgeworth, "I have no choice, although I don't really like the direction in which this conversation is headed. My personal life is hardly any of your business, and-!"

"Are we enemies?" Phoenix wasn't really listening anymore. The back of the seat felt cool and relaxing against his now aching head. "Because, if you think about it, we kind of have a strange relationship. I mean, if we were really enemies-!"

"I prefer the term 'rivals,' or, if you like, 'legal adversaries,'" remarked Edgeworth, a tinge of discomfort making its way into his voice for the first time." But, really, Wright, you needn't-!"

"If you really think about it," Phoenix went on inexorably, ignoring Edgeworth's protests, "it's not every day that the victorious prosecutor heads over to the defeated attorney's office to pick him up and give him a ride home. We're uh…we're a special case. We're something special, yeah."

Things were starting to get dimmer in Phoenix's brain, and he found that he really didn't want to, or maybe couldn't open his eyes anymore.

_I need sleep, _he thought. _Just five more minutes…this is a nice car. What are these seats made of, anyway? It's soft…_

"Because," mused Phoenix thoughtfully, really more to himself than to Edgeworth as the car sped onward into the night, "I've kind of been wondering about that, lately. About us, I mean. You ever wonder if maybe we could have been more than just friends? Yeah, there's definitely something special about us. I think we'd make a great team…if we were a team, you know? I've always kind of wondered what it would be like to kiss you, actually…do you make that scowly face, even when you're kissing someone? Always been kinda curious about that…it'd be a shame if you did, because you've got a nice smile. Do you smile when you kiss someone, Miles? Miles, smiles..."

"Wha," began Edgeworth confusedly, and the car suddenly skidded and screeched. "Wh…WHAT? What on earth are you saying? Wright, what-?"

Phoenix, however, was no longer even pretending to listen. As Edgeworth continued to shout frantic protests at him, Phoenix happily drifted off into tipsy dreams of soft, romantic kisses with men who never smiled.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Okay, okay, so I know that the whole 'drunken confession' thing is a bit overused, but this is a cliché-filled, guilty-pleasure Narumitsu romance fic, and so frankly I am not ashamed.

I had fun writing that section!


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Note: **Spending all day today at the theater working on death scenes. Luckily, I only die once in this play, and several other people have to practice dying, so while they're onstage, I can sit over here in the corner and work on the story…

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**February 16, 2029**

**3:00 AM**

**Edgeworth's Apartment**

Long hours after leaving Phoenix's office and returning to his own apartment, Edgeworth still couldn't sleep. He'd tried for a while, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling in the dark, but it was no use. Even before he closed his eyes, all he could see against the back of his mind was Phoenix's peaceful, drunk, drooling face lolling against the headrest in the passenger seat of his car.

_You've got a nice smile, _he heard Phoenix say vaguely, slurring his words a little as he fell prey to the alcohol-induced tendency to deliver in open speech what was probably intended as inner monologue. _Miles, smiles…maybe we could have been more than just friends? I've always kind of wondered what it would be like to kiss you, actually…_

Edgeworth could feel his face heating up just thinking about it, and an involuntary little shudder ran down his spine every time the words played over in his head.

_What nonsense, _he told himself irritably. _Nothing more than a drunkard's meaningless ramblings. There's no point in taking it seriously, or even in giving it any further thought._

There was a rustling in the next room, and Edgeworth could hear his unexpected guest mumbling incoherently through the wall.

_And yet, _he thought uncertainly, _for all that he was obviously intoxicated, he wasn't…incoherent, or particularly ridiculous up until that moment. All of his conversation was sane and rational enough. He even offered me an apology, which required a certain amount of clear-headedness. Then…is it possible that he…?_

On the other side of the wall, something thumped loudly. Edgeworth paused for a moment, but the sound didn't persist.

_Idiot, _he thought. _It sounds as though he's fallen out of bed. _

The idea of "Phoenix" and "bed" in the same thought conjured up the image if Phoenix's face all over again, with that little absent-minded smile on his lips as he'd mumbled about kisses, scowls and smiles.

_And just this very morning, _thought Edgeworth, _he looked at me with such disgust…as though I was some sort of monster. 'Automaton,' he called me…and there is no doubt whatsoever that he was fully in his right mind during that exchange, if one can consider a man like Phoenix Wright to even possess such a thing as a 'right mind.'_

There had been something so cold, so genuinely disappointed in Phoenix's eyes when he'd accused Edgeworth of cruelty in the courtroom.

_Sometimes I wonder, _his angry words echoed clearly in Edgeworth's mind, _if you even have a soul. _

"Nngh!" Exasperated, Edgeworth sprang to his feet, abandoned the bed and began pacing restlessly around the room in front of the large half-open windows. Outside, it was already almost morning, and the sun had started to come up.

_This is exhausting, _thought Edgeworth mi_s_erably. _Why? Why, suddenly, now, this random declaration of affection on the heels of such a damning rejection? Just this morning we were both convinced that he hated me. How can he be so alarmingly fickle? What am I intended to believe? Shall I never have any peace from these nauseating emotional uncertainties? Wright…how can you so consistently be so infuriating? No other man has ever…_

Outside, a car horn blared, and someone shouted. Edgeworth stood for a moment before the window, watching the traffic as the street slowly and blearily came alive. He forced himself to take a deep, slow, breath, scowling down at the city scenery.

_Enough, _he told himself forcefully. _I'm behaving like a lovestruck schoolboy. This is preposterous. Damn you, Wright…you have always had that affect upon me. I refuse to allow this to continue…you're undoubtedly terrible for what remains of my mental health._

Nodding to himself, he strode over to the door, threw it open, and started in the direction of the guest bedroom.

On the threshold, however, with his fist raised to knock, one last, unbidden thought sprang up from the treacherous recesses of his mind.

_And yet, _he thought desperately, _and yet, is it possible that for all of these years, he, too, has…? _

Uncertainly, Edgeworth stood in front of the door for a long few minutes, fighting and losing a battle with himself.

**Meanwhile, on the other side of the door…**

"Wha...!"

Phoenix woke up with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. His right temple throbbed horribly, and he grabbed at his head, sinking slowly back down again onto the pillows and groaning to himself.

"Ow, ow, ow," he mumbled. "What…? Where am I? How did I…? Ugh, my head…"

_Relax, Phoenix, _he told himself. _Keep it together. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. Let's just have a look at the evidence._

Opening his eyes slowly, he took a quick look around the room.

"This is…Edgeworth's place," he muttered aloud. "Wow, he still keeps everything so neat…it's kind of creepy. Does anyone actually live here? Wait, okay, so…how did I end up in the guest bedroom? Are we having a slumber party? Uh, no, probably not."

Carefully, still clutching at his aching head, Phoenix mentally retraced his steps from the day before. He winced unhappily as he remembered the guilty verdict in Ms. Hart's case.

_Poor Brooke, _he thought miserably. _Innocent or not, she…wait, oh, I get it, now. I've been up to my old 'grape juice' tricks again, huh? Oh boy, Trucy's not going to be too happy with me when she hears about this. Maybe I can bribe Edgeworth not to tell her...so, what do you bribe the wealthy district Chief Prosecutor with, anyway? Food? Wine? Somehow, I don't think that's going to work. It's…definitely illegal to bribe prosecutors anyway, even outside of the courtroom. He's probably pretty mad at me after what happened last night. He had to come all that way just to drag me out of the office, and then-!_

Suddenly, Phoenix remembered what had happened in the car ride on the way home. He only vaguely remembered dozing off in the car, but he was sure that just before he'd fallen asleep, they'd been having a conversation about the awkwardness of the prosecutor/defense attorney relationship.

"Oh…oh crap," whispered Phoenix aloud, turning pale as the penny finally dropped. "Wait, I can't…there's no way that I…I said WHAT?"

For a moment, Phoenix sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the opposite wall as the conversation played itself back in his head.

"Oh boy," he thought, covering his face with his hands as beads of panicky sweat began to pool on his forehead. "Oh god, I told him I wanted to kiss him. I…I'm going to die. This is it; it's all over. I'm going to die. How the heck could I say that out loud? Either I'm just going to drop dead of mortified shame right here in this guest room, or Edgeworth's going to kill me. Maybe it'd be better if-!"

He was interrupted by a loud knock on the bedroom door.

"Gah!" Phoenix jumped up and nearly tripped over his own feet as he frantically tried to think of a way out.

_I can jump out the window, _he thought. _I can escape now and run for it, and I'll figure out how to deal with Edgeworth later, after we've both cooled down. Wait, no, that's insane! This apartment is on the tenth floor! I'd die if I jumped from here. Ugh, I'm going to die either way. There's no way out! What do I do?_

"Wright," demanded Edgeworth from the other side of the door. "Are you dressed? I'd like to speak with you, if I may."

Phoenix ran his hands nervously through his hair, starting to feel lightheaded as he tried not to panic.

_All right, _he told himself, taking a deep breath and doing his best to regain his composure, _there's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to have to face him. _

Slowly sitting back down on the bed, he cleared his throat.

_Maybe, _he thought, a bit more calmly, _maybe this is for the best after all. I mean…I guess I've been trying to avoid having this conversation for a long time, but now, I'll have to. That might not be such a bad thing, after all. I was always going to have to face it eventually…_

"Yeah," called Phoenix a bit hoarsely. "Yeah, I'm, uh…dressed. I'm good. You can come in."

He glanced self-consciously down at the rumpled shirt and tie that he was still wearing from the day before.

"Uh," he mumbled, but before he had a chance to say another word, The door swung open and Edgeworth strode abruptly into the room.

_Wow, _thought Phoenix, recoiling a little. _He doesn't look so good. Look at those dark circles under his eyes. I…have a feeling that might be my fault. _

"Wright," demanded Edgeworth.

"Uh…morning," mumbled Phoenix. "Sorry about…everything."

For a moment, they sat and stared at each other in uncomfortable silence. Phoenix could feel his face starting to heat up, and he was sure that Edgeworth's ears were turning pink.

"So," began Phoenix, taking a deep breath. "I, uh-!"

"Before you ask any ridiculous and idiotic questions," interrupted Edgeworth sharply, "I'd like you to know that the reason you slept in my guest room last night was that I was unable to get you back to your own apartment. You fell asleep in the car on the way, and as I couldn't rouse you for long enough to obtain your keys, I was forced to bring you back to my apartment to let you sleep off the rest of your alcoholic stupor."

"Y-yeah," agreed Phoenix nodding. "That's pretty much what I figured."

Edgeworth looked startled. "It is?"

"Of course it is." Phoenix frowned. "Wait…what did you think I thought?"

Unexpectedly, Edgeworth's cheeks turned even pinker. "I…I have no idea what you think, Wright. Your mind is a ridiculously murky place. I only wished to prevent you from…jumping to disturbing conclusions."

Phoenix hadn't been doing anything of the kind until Edgeworth brought it up, but looking at the flush on Edgeworth's face made Phoenix suddenly feel a lot more embarrassed.

_I mean, come on, _said a little voice in the back of his mind. _If anything else had happened last night, I'd definitely remember. Drunk or not, I'd never forget something like that. _

"Gah," he said aloud, his eyes widening as he shook his head to try and dislodge those dangerous thoughts. "Right, so…anyway, you said there was something you wanted to talk about?"

Edgeworth grimaced and shut his eyes for a moment as though steeling himself for a blow.

"Yes," he said. "I suppose I have no choice. You are awake enough, now, I presume, to remember what took place last evening?"

_Here it comes, _thought Phoenix, taking a deep breath and still actively fighting the urge to make a run for it. _This is it. The moment of truth. Or, well, no, actually, I think the moment of 'truth', per se, already happened, but…_

"As far as I am concerned," Edgeworth went on carefully, not quite managing to meet Phoenix's eyes as he spoke, "there is absolutely no reason for us to discuss the matter ever again. I am perfectly content to pretend, for both our sakes, that the conversation in question never took place. You were severely intoxicated, and I accept, without argument, that you were not in anything close to your right mind. Your remarks, therefore, are useless as concrete evidence, and as of this moment, I have every intention of striking them permanently from the record. Is that arrangement acceptable to you?"

_He's being super formal, _realized Phoenix. _He's even stuffier than usual, actually. What I said last night must have really shaken him up. I had a feeling he'd say something like this, but the cat's out of the bag, now. It's too late to pretend it it didn't happen. Sorry, Miles…_

"Actually," said Phoenix slowly, "I…don't think that's how we should play this at all. I, uh…I think we should talk about it."

Edgeworth just stared at him. "Why..why on earth would you suggest such a thing? I am offering you…no, I am offering both of us amnesty from the mortification of what took place last night."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "I get that, but it won't work. Look, Miles, "he went on, his voice shaking a little even as he tried to keep everything rational and calm, "we're two mature adults in an awkward situation. We should be able to talk about this."

Edgeworth opened his mouth, closed it again, then just shook his head. "I…have no desire whatsoever to discuss the matter further."

_I didn't think you would, _thought Phoenix. "Right," he agreed, "I, uh, noticed that, but I think it'll only get more awkward for us if we don't talk about it. Now that it's out in the open, we need to make the best of it, I guess."

Even as he said the words, Phoenix frowned to himself.

_Wait, _he wondered, _is that really why? Why do I want to talk about this so badly? Maybe I'm just ready to get it off of my chest. It's been more than twenty years, after all. Maybe I just want to put the truth out there, finally…for my sake. This is going to hurt like hell, but it'll be nice not to have to carry it around anymore. _

"It was nothing more than a drunken slip of the tongue," Edgeworth was muttering desperately. "You needn't-!"

"That's not true," interrupted Phoenix doggedly, forcing himself to keep the smile planted on his face despite the horrible, churning feelings in his stomach. "I meant what I said. I mean, okay, I may have put it in kind of a vulgar way, but…look, Miles, you can't be totally shocked by the fact that I've got feelings for you. It's been that way for a really long time."

_Oh boy, _thought Phoenix, genuinely surprised at himself. _I said it. I actually said it. It's…agh, was that a good idea? P-probably not. _

"F-feelings," stammered Edgeworth woodenly, with a stunned sort of blank look on his face.

_Oh well, _decided Phoenix, throwing caution to the wind. _There's no turning back now, Phoenix. Here goes everything. _

"Yeah," he agreed. "Feelings. You know, the mushy, romantic, Valentine's Day kind."

Edgeworth just continued to stare at him, slack-jawed.

"You were actually," continued Phoenix, flushing red despite his best efforts, "my first crush, in a way. You may not remember this, but Larry and I figured out pretty fast in school that you weren't into girls. Okay, so we were all a little young for that kind of thing, but you…REALLY weren't into girls. Everybody else at least had the beginnings of hormones, but you wouldn't spend your time with anybody who wasn't a guy. When we asked you about it, you just shrugged and said that you preferred men to women, and I guess until that moment I hadn't even considered the fact that you could…I mean, that anybody could prefer men. I, uh…well, it got me thinking, and before too long, it got me thinking about you. Sure, we were just kids, but kids are pretty sure of themselves and how they feel. It was an intense crush, for a fourth grader."

"U-uh," muttered Edgeworth helplessly.

"Maybe," Phoenix went on, staring thoughtfully at his own long fingers, "that's why I got so upset when we met again after all those years. Ever since grade school, you'd been the person that I'd wanted to impress more than anything, and when I finally ran into you again…you'd changed. The way I saw it, you'd mutated into some kind of monster. It was a real heartbreaker, let me tell you."

Edgeworth flinched.

"But," continued Phoenix, "we both figured it out. You're not a monster, and you're not a soulless automaton, no matter what I said yesterday in the heat of the courtroom moment. You're a great man, and in many ways you're always going to be my hero. You always have been. Yeah, there are a lot of complicated feelings involved there, too, and I guess you figured out last night that I'm still pretty strongly attracted to you, even though I figured out a long time ago that you don't feel the same way. That's fine, Miles. I'm not asking or expecting you to give me anything that you don't' have. I just…uh, I guess I just wanted you to know. Maybe I just wanted to say it out loud, or something, I don't know, but either way I hope that you don't decide to start hating me now, any more than you already do."

Phoenix grinned awkwardly, trying to make a joke out of that last statement, but his heart wasn't really in it. He could feel how hot his face had become, and his heart was trying to beat its way out of his chest like a frantic, trapped butterfly. The sensation and the nerves were starting to make him feel nauseous again.

Edgeworth still hadn't moved. He was still staring, wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Phoenix with both fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Ah," he muttered desperately. "I…I see…"

Phoenix waited, but that appeared to be everything that Edgeworth was going to say.

Phoenix raised an eyebrow." Miles?"

Edgeworth just continued to gape.

_Uh oh, _thought Phoenix. _I think I broke him. _

"It's okay," he insisted quickly. "Remember, I'm not asking you to do anything. I already know that you don't feel the same way, so it's…it's all right."

_Well, not exactly 'all right,' _he thought, _but it's the way it is. I've managed to deal with it for over twenty years…I don't see why it should suddenly be a problem now._

"Miles," repeated Phoenix.

"B-buh," muttered Edgeworth incomprehensibly.

"Uh, I'm right, aren't I?" Phoenix couldn't help himself. "I mean…I guess I would kind of like to hear you say it. You, uh, you don't have feelings for me, right?"

Edgeworth's eyes opened even wider, and a muscle began to twitch spasmodically in his cheek.

If possible, Phoenix's heart suddenly began to beat even faster.

"Hey," he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Edgeworth. "Answer the question! Do you or don't you? It's not a difficult-!"

Abruptly, Edgeworth's face underwent a remarkable transformation. He turned pale, and then just as suddenly flushed a deep crimson. Phoenix was almost certain he could hear the echoes of Edgeworth's own heart beating a terrible, rapid tattoo against the inside of his ribcage.

_No way, _thought Phoenix incredulously. _I mean…if Athena were here, then I'm sure she'd say that Edgeworth…but no, that's impossible. It can't be. I'm imagining things…_

"Wright," muttered Edgeworth hoarsely, "I…"

For what felt like the longest moment in creation, Phoenix essentially stopped breathing as he waited impatiently for Edgeworth to finish the sentence.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Finished just in time without a few minutes to spare!

Off to practice my death scene. Wish me luck!


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **So, according to the weather report I just looked at, there's a major blizzard coming? It looks like I might get snowed in for a couple of days.

If that does happen, then I'll have some time to write a bunch of chapters…but for a few days after that, once I get back to work, I won't be able to update at all.

Hmm. Well, let's see what happens. For a moment, we have to get poor Edgeworth out of this mess…or deeper into it. Either way.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**February 16, 2027**

**3:30 AM**

**Edgeworth's Apartment**

Edgeworth stood like a deer caught in headlights, staring with his mouth half-open, feeling trapped and with his brain buzzing as he slowly tried to make sense of the unexpected, nervous confession that had just tumbled out of Phoenix Wright.

"Well," demanded Phoenix a little desperately, doing his best to meet Edgeworth's shifty eyes, "what about it, Miles?"

Edgeworth had no idea what to say.

_Never in my wildest dreams did it occur to me that he might entertain such feelings, _he thought confusedly. _I thought I was the only one. Of course I did. For years, ever since we met again over the death of Miss Fey, this ridiculous, infuriating man has haunted me like some sort of spectre, filling up my thoughts with his childish smiles and his attacks of passionate attachment to his clients, de-railing my best laid plans. He has a terrible habit of getting himself into troubling situations that have required my assistance time and time again, and I have gone about my task of serving as his legal guardian angel with a silent cross to bear, knowing that I would never, ever, receive anything other than a dubious 'friendship' based on mutual grudging respect. I thought I had come to terms with the infuriating, tantalizing but unsatisfying nature of our relationship, and yet now, I…where on earth is this coming from, so suddenly? Why has he never said anything before?_

"Uh…hey," Phoenix was saying, now sounding genuinely worried. "Earth to Edgeworth! Oh boy, I think I really may have broken something, here. Can you hear me, Miles?"

_Why, _wondered Edgeworth, barely aware that Phoenix was speaking, _have I never said anything? Why have I kept silent for so long? Because I was convinced that he preferred women? Because I was ashamed? Yes, certainly, I was ashamed, but…in all honesty, that was never the only reason._

Again, for the umpteenth time that day, Edgeworth remembered the disgusted look on Phoenix's face the previous morning, after the judge had declared a "guilty" verdict in the trial of Ms. Brooke Hart. Phoenix had narrowed his eyes and looked at Edgeworth as though Edgeworth really was the enemy.

_An automaton, _echoed Phoenix's words in Edgeworth's mind. _Sometimes, I wonder if you even have a soul. I thought you were a monster…_

"Yes," murmured Edgeworth, smiling mirthlessly and bitterly to himself. "Yes, well…not every one of us can be the knight in shining armor, Wright. The justice system requires that not all of us be your kind of hero."

"Huh?" Now, Phoenix was the one staring. "What's that supposed to mean?"

_Yes, _thought Edgeworth, nodding . _Yes, precisely. That's a large part of the reason. I've known it all along, of course. By the time we'd met again, during investigation of Ms. Fey's death, it was already too late. We were already adversaries. The paths that we've chosen, though symbiotic, are also diametrically opposed for good reason. We have cast ourselves in entirely the wrong roles for romance. Perhaps if things had been different, if my father had lived, or if I'd never chosen the path of the prosecutor. Perhaps if I'd met Wright again before I'd made my decision, but…there's no point whatsoever in distressing either of us further with such useless speculations, now. _

The thought was a painful one, and as Edgeworth set his jaw and gritted his teeth against an upsurge of unwelcome emotion, the little flicker of hope that he'd begun to entertain went ahead and winked out.

"It doesn't matter," he said aloud, quietly. "My feelings on the subject are irrelevant, Wright."

Phoenix gaped." Wha…WHAAT? Irrelevant? What are you talking about? I'm asking you to tell me if you're interested in me, or not."

"Interested," muttered Edgeworth, clearing his throat uncomfortably and turning his face away again. "In that case, I…yes. Yes, I am…interested."

'_Fascinated' is a more appropriate description, _he thought unhappily, his face on fire with embarrassment as he realized that he'd just admitted.

At the same time, however, as soon as Edgeworth said it, there was a fantastic moment of release. It felt unexpectedly amazing to finally say the words aloud.

Phoenix made a startled little noise in his throat, froze for a moment, and then slowly, almost incredulously, he started to smile. It was one of those wide, childish, unspeakably delightful smiles that made Edgeworth's heart suddenly do an awful, nauseating somersault in his chest.

"Wow," mumbled Phoenix, grinning all over his face and running both hands nervously through his hair. "I…uh, I don't believe it."

While Edgeworth stood rooted to the spot, Phoenix took a few hesitant steps towards him, and then reached out to put a hand on his arm.

Edgeworth recoiled from the touch. "Wright," he demanded, "what on earth are you doing?"

"Ack!" Phoenix jumped back, looking startled and confused. "I…nothing! Wait, no. What AM I doing? I, uh…I thought you said that-!"

"I admitted to being…enraptured, yes, to a certain extent," agreed Edgeworth quietly, wincing as he forced the words out. "I did not and do not, however, accept your advances."

"Um…I-I see," mumbled Phoenix, not looking as though he really understood at all. "Can I ask why?"

"Surely," announced Edgeworth condescendingly, careful to distance himself a little more from Phoenix even as he spoke, "you've realized it yourself, already. Then again, you can be infuriatingly dense, at times."

Phoenix just gave Edgeworth an uncertain sort of half-smile." Endearingly dense, right?"

Edgeworth glared. "Not at all."

"Ouch," muttered Phoenix, flinching. "Okay, I probably deserved that. But, still-!"

"Have you already forgotten?" Edgeworth shook his head and wagged an admonishing finger at him. "You said it yourself, last night. In our opposite roles of prosecution and defense, we are, to a certain extent, enemies."

"R-rivals," corrected Phoenix quickly. "Or, uh, was it 'adversaries?' And, anyway, Miles, that's work. We're not talking about work, here. We're talking about…feelings, I guess."

"Feelings have no place in a professional relationship," countered Edgeworth. "Don't forget, Wright, that no matter how many dinners to which I may treat you, ours continues to be just that – a professional relationship."

Phoenix's eyes widened. "Wait, hold it! I thought we just established that we've got, way more than a professional relationship, here. You're the one who used the word 'entranced.' You don't get 'entranced'' with your co-workers, right?"

Edgeworth cleared his throat awkwardly. "Admittedly, that may have been an inappropriate word choice for the situation."

"Really? No, I…I kinda liked it, actually," admitted Phoenix, flushing again. "I like the idea of you being 'entranced' by me. It's a perfectly good word."

"At any rate," mumbled Edgeworth, aware that Phoenix was now dangerously starting to smile again, "it doesn't matter. What matters is that you seem, perhaps deliberately, to be forgetting all about yesterday's trial, and about the multiple trials past where we have found ourselves at irreconcilable odds. If I recall correctly, you referred to me then as a 'soulless automaton.'"

Phoenix sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Are we ever going to get over that? Look, I already apologized. I know it was a terrible thing to say, I just-!"

"The comment did not distress me at all," lied Edgeworth. "My point is that you and I face such situations on a regular basis. We have structured our lives in such a way that our goals are, now and forever, diametrically opposed, as are our viewpoints. It is my job to find ways to fight you, to undermine your efforts and to attempt to reveal truths that you wish to hide. Your job is to do the same to me. In many ways, we are the 'enemies' you spoke of last night. We both serve justice best by doing everything within our power to discredit the other. Only through such a necessary professional antagonism does the real truth come to light, and if I know you as well as I believe I do, Wright, there is nothing more important to you than the truth."

"Well…yeah, okay," agreed Phoenix, "but-!"

"And therefore," finished Edgeworth before Phoenix had a chance to protest, "we are ill-suited to any kind of romantic attachment. It would be counter-productive…even counter-intuitive. It might even damage our ability to function effectively in our present roles."

Phoenix opened his mouth to object, closed it again, frowned for a moment, and then shook his head.

"That's actually the stupidest thing I've ever heard," he said.

Edgeworth flinched. "Nngh!"

"Seriously, Miles, "Phoenix went on. "You're telling me we can't be involved because you're a prosecutor, and I'm a defense attorney. That doesn't make any sense. I'm sure there are lots of lawyers on opposite sides who end up dating."

_Dating, _thought Edgeworth, temporarily allowing himself to imagine sitting across the table from Phoenix at a fancy restaurant, appropriately but elegantly decorated for Valentine's Day, gazing thoughtfully and longingly into Phoenix's eyes.

"Ack," he whispered, shaking his head to dispel the vision. "I-I certainly can't think of any lawyer/prosecutor romantic relationships that I've ever heard of. Can you, Wright?"

Phoenix thought about it for a moment. "Well, uh, no," he admitted, "but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

"It would be ridiculous," countered Edgeworth. "Preposterously unethical. It creates significant conflict of interest."

Slowly, Phoenix sat back down on the edge of the bed, looking disappointed and obviously confused.

"I don't get it," he muttered. "Look, we're both adults. We're mature enough to handle separating work and pleasure, right?"

_P-pleasure, _thought Edgeworth before he could stop himself, his eyes widening as he frantically tried to fend off the delicious and alarming mental images that accompanied that idea.

"Apparently not," he said, maybe a little more forcefully than he'd intended as he fought gallantly to regain his resolve. "You weren't so sure of that during yesterday's trial," he reminded Phoenix, pointing an accusing finger at him. "When you accused me of having no soul, you yourself were struggling to separate our personal and professional lives."

"Oh." Phoenix bit his lip, then nodded. "So…that's it. That's what this is really all about."

"What?" Edgeworth blinked.

"You're still upset about yesterday morning," Phoenix went on. "I guess I really hurt you with that 'soulless' comment, but honestly, Edgeworth, I just lost my temper. I didn't mean it."

_It's not the first time that this has happened, _thought Edgeworth grimly. _You yourself admitted to having thought of me as a monster when we first began arguing on opposite sides in court. There have been many other times, as well, over the years._

Phoenix let out a frustrated little sigh.

"How," he asked, "can I convince you that I'm not going to be an asshole about this?"

"You can't." Edgeworth shook his head. "I wish you wouldn't try."

"Hey, come on-!" Phoenix started to get up again, but Edgeworth just shook his head.

"Don't make promises that you can't possibly keep, Wright," he admonished quietly. "You have said that we are both mature adults who are capable of separating business and pleasure, but that is only partially true. I have proven to you many times that I am capable of separating our professional and personal lives, but you have no such ability. Every case for you becomes a personal mission, every client a personal friend. As I've told you time and time again, you do yourself no favors when you insist on making every courtroom foray a deeply emotional experience."

"W-wait," began Phoenix, but Edgeworth wasn't finished.

"It's true that I have no desire to be your personal nemesis," continued Edgeworth. "I…do not enjoy seeing the disgusted way you look at me when I have scored a point against you in the courtroom. It's very painful for me…and I suppose now, you know why."

"Miles," muttered Phoenix, looking guilty. "That's not the way I think of you at all."

"If we were to attempt a romantic entanglement," said Edgeworth, "I fear it would only result in more unpleasantness. It is far worse to be slighted by a lover than by a casual friend. Surely you can understand, now, why I must refuse you."

For a long moment, there was silence between the two men while Edgeworth attempted to swallow the miserable, hopeless feeling that was starting to well up somewhere in his insides. Phoenix was staring at his own folded hands, obviously lost in thought.

"We've argued plenty of cases," he said eventually, "We don't usually have any trouble letting it go after court adjourns."

"Hah," muttered Edgeworth, smiling bitterly. "Well, yes, of course. After all, you usually win, and you, Wright, can be quite magnanimous when you win."

"Ouch," mumbled Phoenix, flinching.

Aware that there really wasn't anything left to say, and not sure he could stand to sit there watching Phoenix's disappointed face any longer, Edgeworth turned to go.

"But you see," he said, as he headed for the door, "I have no intention of allowing you to win every case. It's very possible that yesterday's coup on my part may be a new beginning for me. We'll have to see."

"Miles," began Phoenix miserably.

Edgeworth cut him off. "I think it might be best, for the present, if you refrained from addressing me in that familiar way. Let us take extra care to remember that we are, first and foremost, adversaries and perhaps business colleagues, for both of our sakes. It will be easier that way."

Edgeworth could feel the knife twisting horribly in his own heart even as he said it, but that didn't change anything. There was something almost satisfying about that sickening feeling. It helped assuage the guilt.

"I'll call you a taxi," he told Phoenix, closing the guest room door behind him. "Feel free to partake of whatever you find in the kitchen, in the meantime."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Oof, feelings…angst angst ANGST!


	6. Chapter Six

**Author's Note: **Hmm. Well, that was NOT a very impressive snowstorm. Not at all. Definitely nota blizzard. Only an inch or so.

The county closed schools anyway, though, so at least I have a few extra hours today to write.

Let's have a chapter, shall we?

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**February 16, 2029**

**7:00 AM**

**The Wright Anything Agency**

A few hours later, Phoenix was hunched over his desk in his office with a big glass of ice water in front of him, still nursing a hangover and a bad case of the blues.

_I don't know what I'm supposed to do, _he kept thinking, drumming his fingers idly on the desk and trying not to picture the closed, unyielding look that had been in Edgeworth's eyes as he'd shut the door in Phoenix's face some time around four in the morning.

It had already been an emotional whirlwind of a day, and normal working hours hadn't even started yet. Phoenix was still trying to wrap his head around all the little discoveries he'd made since the drunken car ride on the night before.

_So, _he thought to himself for the umpteenth time that morning. _What do we know? Edgeworth has feelings for me. He, uh…he says he was 'entranced' by me. That's a good thing, right? No, who am I kidding? It's GREAT. I get kind of giddy and warm just thinking about it. I mean…twenty years of frustrated feelings and now, all of a sudden, it turns out he's been pining for me, too! It's like something out of a soap opera, or one of those awful romance novels that the Chief used to read. It's almost too good to be true!_

Frowning to himself, he took a long swig of his water, and made a face as his head throbbed in response to the cold drink.

_Wait, though, _he reminded himself. _I guess it is too good to be true. I mean…how did Edgeworth put it? He's not 'accepting my advances?' Not that I, uh, really made any advances…although, I probably would have if I'd thought I could have gotten away with it. A-anyway, what's the problem, exactly? He doesn't want me because I'm a bad loser? Because I've got a quick temper? I don't have a quick temper! It was just the one time! Sheesh, Edgeworth really needs to learn to let go of these grudges. Is that really what this is about? Is he just afraid it's not going to work out because of our jobs, or…? I mean, am I crazy, or does that seem like kind of a stupid reason? I'm not that stubborn. I'm not as immature as he says I am, either. I can be cool and detached, sure. He's all wrong about me. We could make this work…right?_

Miserably, he buried his aching face in his hands.

_Gah, _he thought desperately, _it doesn't matter what I think. How am I supposed to convince Edgeworth? What exactly does he want me to do? I…I don't know how to fix this. _

At that moment, the office door creaked open, mercifully interrupting Phoenix's dejected reverie.

"Niiiiiiiick," called Maya, striding into the room with an overstuffed suitcase in each hand and grinning all over her face. "I'm baaaack! Ugh, how did I know that you'd be in the office on a Saturday? Oh, well. Did you miss me? Of course you did. Happy belated Valentine's Day! Um, I wanted to get you a present, but I couldn't think of anything good. Hey, how about we go get burgers, instead? I'm STARVING! I just made a ton of money, so this time, it's on me. I think. Um, how much was a jumbo-burger, again?"

Phoenix gave her an absent sort of smile without even looking up.

"Oh," he said. "Uh, hey, Maya. Welcome back."

Maya's jaw dropped, and so did both of her suitcases.

"I-is that seriously all I get? I've been gone for three weeks," she demanded, "and all you can say is 'welcome back' with that dumb look on your face? Nick! I think I'm gonna cry! What gives? Did you find a new annoying former assistant? Have I been replaced?"

Maya's lip began to quiver, but Phoenix wasn't really paying attention.

"Huh?" He frowned and shook his head. "No, sorry, sorry! Uh, it's not you. I'm glad you made it back okay. I'm just…I guess I'm a little preoccupied, that's all."

"Um, obviously," returned Maya. She pulled a chair over to Phoenix's desk and sat down next to him. "So? What is it? Did your big Valentine's Day date go bad, or something?"

Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise. "D-date? What date? What are you talking about? I didn't-!"

"Oh, wow!" Maya was grinning again. "I was just kidding, but looks like I hit the jackpot! Did you actually go somewhere for Valentine's Day? Where was it? Was it with a girl? Um, or a guy? Come on, spill it, what happened?"

She crossed both arms over her chest, settled into her chair and looked expectantly at him.

Aware that he probably didn't have any other options, Phoenix told her.

He told her about the dinner with Edgeworth on Valentine's Day, the night before the big trial, and about his loss of the Brooke Hart case. He told her about the grape juice binge he'd had alone in his office, and about the ill-fated car ride home with Edgeworth. As he related the conversation between him and Edgeworth that morning in Edgeworth's apartment, Maya gaped at him, wide-eyed and looking like she couldn't decide if she was horrified or impressed.

"W-wow, Nick," she stammered. "You actually told him! I never thought you'd do it! This is a huge step for you! It's like you've finally passed through puberty! I'm so proud!"

Phoenix ignored the jab and just shrugged. "Yeah," he agreed, "I told him. Doesn't look like it's done either of us any good, though."

"What? No way!" Maya shook her head emphatically. "He says he feels the same way, right? 'Entranced' has got to be a big deal. It's a big word."

"Right," countered Phoenix, "but he's not interested Or, no, he's interested, but he says it would never work out. He's not interested in trying is what I meant, I guess."

Maya frowned and had to think about that one for a moment.

"Right," she agreed after a moment. "Yeah, I can see how that could get tricky. Still, it's not like it's the end of the world, right?"

_Sure feels like it at the moment, _thought Phoenix glumly.

"It's simple," insisted Maya. "All Mr. Edgeworth wants you to do is to prove to him that you aren't a sore loser, right? So…prove it!"

Phoenix looked up at her. "Uh, how am I supposed to do that, exactly?"

Maya wagged a finger at him in a disturbing imitation of a very Edgeworth-like gesture. "Um, isn't it obvious? You just have to lose, and then not get so bent out of shape about it!"

"Lose, huh?" Phoenix frowned to himself. "Well…sure, I lose all the time."

"No you don't," countered Maya. "You usually win! Actually, it'll probably be kind of hard for you to lose a case on purpose. You'll have to really work at it. Still, you can do it, Nick! I believe in you! After all, it's for Mr. Edgeworth!"

_Somehow, _thought Phoenix, _I don't think it's really that simple. Is this really all about losing? I don't know…_

"I can't do that," he told her. "Losing a case on purpose would be unbelievably unethical. I'd be intentionally betraying my client, and that could mean jail time for him, or worse. Possibly another disbarment for me, as well. It's out of the question."

"Yeah," murmured Maya thoughtfully. "Well, um…I guess there's only one thing to do, then! You'll just have to find a guilty client! You can lose a case if your client's really guilty, right? I mean, you wouldn't want a murderer to actually walk free, so it'd still be justice. It'd just be a sort of different kind of justice than what we usually do."

_Take on a client, even if I know that he's guilty? _Phoenix blinked. _That's…isn't that even more unethical than losing a case on purpose?_

"I know what you're thinking," began Maya, "but it's not so bad. I mean, some defense attorneys do it all the time! There are lawyers out there who make their living on defending guilty guys, right?"

_But I'm not one of those lawyers, _Phoenix reminded himself. _I hate guys like that, who are only doing it for the money. You can tell just by looking around this office that I've never cared about the money. What's important is doing the right thing and getting justice for the innocent._

He shook his head. "What kind of a person intentionally lets a guilty man walk free?"

"Oh, but that's the best part," insisted Maya eagerly. "You wouldn't actually be getting him off! You'd just be setting him up so that Mr. Edgeworth could find him guilty! Then you can show Mr. Edgeworth what a great guy you are, and you can both ride off into the sunset in his fancy car and have super-romantic legal arguments over expensive dinners for the rest of your beautiful lives! Dinners? That reminds me, I'm still hungry. Are we getting burgers or not?"

As Phoenix pulled on his jacket and got ready to head out to the burger joint across the street, he shook his head.

_There's no way, _he told himself. _Losing a case on purpose, even if your client really is guilty is about as sleazy as it gets. I mean…okay, so I did do that once before in the Matt Engarde case, sort of, but that was different. I didn't take that case because I wanted to. It was blackmail. That makes it okay…right? Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure it does. In any other circumstance, though, it would be inexcusably unethical. I'm sure that's what Edgeworth would say, too. _

"Nick," called Maya from the doorway. "Come on! I haven't eaten in at least three hours. I'm getting ravenous…everything's starting to look like food!"

**Meanwhile, at People Park…**

Several police officers were clustered around the lifeless remains of a large, well-dressed man which was lying in the middle of the green. As Detective Ema Skye began analyzing a set of footprints in the mud next to the victim, another officer chatted up a couple of frightened-looking teenagers who had apparently been witness to the crime.

A few feet away, Edgeworth stood by the park fence with huge dark circles under his eyes, exhausted and still brooding to himself about that morning.

_I…I may have made a terrible mistake, _he thought desperately. _Why on earth did I insist upon refusing him so callously? I said some incredible things. I was harsh, if honest. No doubt I've wounded his pride. He confessed, and I rebuffed him without so much as considering his pleas to be heard. It's inexcusable. It's unforgivable. He will never forgive me. I would never forgive him if I were in his shoes. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the only opportunity that I will ever receive to realize these miserable affections, and I rejected it without a second thought! I will be forced to live frustrated and unfulfilled for the rest of my life! Agh, what have I done?!_

He stared wildly around the park, swallowing hard against an upsurge of panic and briefly contemplating the idea of jumping into the car and making an undignified surprise appearance at Phoenix's apartment to beg for a chance to completely re-do the conversation that he'd been playing and re-playing in his head since long before dawn.

_But, _insisted a stern little voice in the back of his mind, _much as I may hate to admit it, I was right. Everything I said to him, though unpleasant, was all the truth. Any romantic interlude between us could only end in disaster and possibly public scandal. He's far too passionate, too devoted to his warped sense of 'justice,' to entangle himself with a prosecutor, the eternal enemy, for long. I…I can't deny that that same misplaced, dramatic passion of his is part of what makes him so infuriatingly attractive…_

"Nngrggh," groaned Edgeworth aloud, grabbing at his hair with both hands and slumping miserably against the fence.

"Uh…M-Mr. Edgeworth?" Detective Gumshoe, who must have been standing there for some time, took a hesitant step towards him. "You, uh…you okay, pal? You don't look so good."

"What? Oh, Detective." Edgeworth straightened up immediately, cleared his throat and did his best to regain his composure. "Yes, I'm, er, perfectly fine. My apologies. It was…a long night."

"Oh, yeah?" Unexpectedly, Gumshoe gave Edgeworth a knowing, lopsided sort of grin. "Sure, I get it. You must have had an exciting Valentine's Day huh?"

"WHAT?" Edgeworth stared. "Valentine's…? C-certainly not. I-!"

"So," asked Gumshoe, winking offensively."Who's the lucky lady, if you don't mind my asking, pal?"

For a brief, merciful moment, Edgeworth stopped fantasizing about Phoenix, and began imagining what it would be like to wring Detective Dick Gumshoe's neck.

"As a matter of fact," he snapped, narrowing his eyes at Gumshoe, "I DO mind, Detective. I'm afraid that my personal life is absolutely none of your concern. We are the middle of a murder investigation. Can we at least make efforts, please, to stay focused on the task at hand?"

Edgeworth must have looked as furious as he felt, because Gumshoe jumped back a few steps, no longer grinning.

"W-whoa, pal, relax," he exclaimed, throwing up both hands in protest. "I-I was just asking! Just trying to be friendly, that's all."

"I do not need a 'friend' at the moment," retorted Edgeworth icily. "What I need is a competent homicide Detective capable of leading a thorough search of this accursed park. Do you think you're likely to be that person any time in the near future, or shall we discuss a possible restructuring of the current hierarchy? Well, Detective?"

Gumshoe flinched and scratched unhappily at his head.

"Y-yes sir," he managed, standing as much to attention as he could. "I'm, uh…I'm on it right now, Mr. Edgeworth, sir! Leave it to me!"

As Gumshoe turned hurriedly around to re-join the other officers, Edgeworth could hear him muttering none-too-softly under his breath.

"Jeez," muttered Gumshoe, "it's been a while since he's threatened my pay like that. Almost saw a glimpse of the old Mr. Edgeworth, there, for a second. I guess it must have been a really, REALLY bad Valentine's Day. Poor guy…love hurts."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **HUZZAH, I got to write about Maya AND Gumshoe in this chapter! I love those two characters. Now, if I can just get Franziska and Godot in here somewhere, I'll be as happy as can be.

…Let's not hold our collective breath, though. Including all of my favorite characters may end up being a stretch.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: **Just another quick clarification! There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not this story, **Those Turnabout Blues**, is an AU or not.

It is not. This story does not take place in an alternate universe. I have every intention of keeping this story as canon as possible.

This has been a public service announcement. You may now return to your regularly scheduled updates.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**February 18,2029**

**10:00 AM**

**Courtroom No. 5**

Phoenix was sitting in the third row of the gallery, playing spectator at that morning's trial.

_Watching other people's trials is always a good idea, _he thought to himself. _It's like they say in school – you never learn to write unless you read a lot of books. The same thing applies to being a lawyer. You can't become a good attorney unless you watch a lot of trials. _

On either side of him, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes were busy watching the trial as well.

"Wow," whispered Apollo, sounding uncharacteristically and genuinely impressed. "The Chief Prosecutor sure knows his stuff."

Athena made a face. "Of course he does, Pollo. We know that better than most people, right? I almost got declared 'guilty' by him, once!" She shivered a little. "I've never been so scared in a courtroom in my life, before. He's something else!"

_Yeah, well, _thought Phoenix defensively, _that was a special case. It was a hostage situation. It's not like he really WANTED to accuse you…I think. _

Edgeworth was still seated calmly behind the prosecution's bench with his notes laid neatly out in front of him. Across from him behind the defense's bench stood a flustered and frumpy woman that Phoenix had only met a few times before. She was a relatively new defense attorney from Poughkeepsie named Marie Annette. As Phoenix understood it, she'd started out as a preschool teacher in her younger days, and had started studying to be a defense attorney when she'd gotten sick and tired of vomit and fingerpaint.

There was a witness in the box as well; a tall, impressive-looking woman with jet-black hair and rippling arm muscles. Her name, apparently, was Odetta Swann, and she was a stunt-double in the action movie business. At that moment, Ms. Annette was doing her best to convince the court that this Mrs. Swann was the real killer, which would effectively prove that her client was innocent.

"Boss," asked Athena, looking up at Phoenix and frowning. "Do you think Swann did it? She sure looks like she's strong enough to be capable of strangling somebody with her bare hands. Actually…it's kind of really cool! Uh, if she isn't a murderer, anyway."

Phoenix just shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Luckily, this isn't my case."

"I know, but," insisted Athena doggedly, "if you had to make a guess right now, Mr. Wright, then what would you think?"

_That's not how it works, Athena, _thought Phoenix. _You can't just 'guess' about this kind of thing. There are two competent lawyers up there doing everything they can to sort out the truth. It's not our place to stick our noses in. We're just here for research purposes._

Apparently giving up on Phoenix, Athena sighed in exasperation and turned to Apollo.

"What about you," she asked him. "What do you think, Pollo? Innocent or guilty?"

"Huh? Me?" Apollo frowned thoughtfully over at the witness. "Well…honestly, yeah, I think she's guilty. Ms. Annette's already made a pretty good case against her."

Phoenix chewed on his lip, watching the nervous look on the defense attorney's face.

"Yeah," he agreed aloud, "but so far, it's all conjecture. She doesn't have any decisive proof. If she doesn't come up with something soon, her client's going to get a guilty verdict."

Athena sighed. "And there's probably no way the Chief Prosecutor's going to lose to her, either. I'm pretty sure the only person he ever loses to is you, boss."

"Huh?" Phoenix turned around to stare at her. "Wait, what?"

"Hey, quiet down," hissed Apollo. "I'm trying to pay attention."

As Phoenix looked on, Ms. Annette began glancing shiftily around the courtroom, sweating and obviously starting to get upset about the way the trial was going. For a moment, as she looked helplessly out over the crowd, her eyes met Phoenix's, and she opened her mouth a little bit in surprise.

_Uh, hey, now, _he thought, awkwardly looking away. _Don't look at me! What am I supposed to do about it? I don't know anything about this case. _

"Well, Mr. Edgeworth?" The judge glanced up from his notes and looked over at the prosecution's bench." Do you have any comment to make on Mrs. Swann's testimony?"

Edgeworth gave the witness a long, hard, searching look.

"No, Your Honor," he said after a moment. "I'm afraid that the prosecution has no further objections."

_He…actually doesn't look too happy about it, _realized Phoenix suddenly. _Uh oh. I haven't seen one of THESE in a while. Maybe she really is guilty…_

"Very well, then," announced the judge, clearing his throat. "In that case, let me relate to you what I understand from the proceedings so far. On the morning of February the sixteenth, Mr. Mortimer Thripp was found dead in the middle of People Park. According to the autopsy report, death occurred around three o'clock that same morning. Judging by the fingermarks around the victim's throat, death was due to asphyxiation after the victim was strangled by an unknown assailant. Is that correct?"

"Perfectly correct so far, Your Honor," murmured Edgeworth.

"Good." The judge nodded. "Now, two teenagers found at the scene identified the defendant, Ms. Mousey Malone, as the murderer. They claimed to have seen her commit the crime before their very eyes while they'd been out playing soccer in the park."

"Hey," whispered Athena to Apollo. "Who plays soccer at three o'clock in the morning?"

Apollo shrugged. "Sounds pretty fishy, if you ask me, but if Ms. Annette can't shake this Swann woman's alibi, then it doesn't matter much."

Athena pursed her lips and clenched both fists at her sides.

"Mr. Wright," she insisted, "this is bad…really bad!"

_I don't think so, _thought Phoenix, watching the closed look on Edgeworth's face. _Actually…I think it's going to turn out fine. You just wait and see, Athena._

"Very well," the judge went on. "Over the last several hours, then, the defense has done her best to convince us that the murder was committed not by Ms. Malone, but by the victim's lover, this Mrs. Swann. According to an investigation conducted by Detectives Gumshoe and Skye, Mrs. Swann's footprints and fingerprints were found at the crime scene. However, Mrs. Swann has an airtight alibi for the time of the murder, as the prosecution has taken great pains to point out."

Edgeworth inclined his head politely, still not looking delighted. "Thank you Your Honor."

The judge sighed. "I really think that the time has come to hand down my verdict," he says. "You've made a compelling case, Ms. Annette, but the alibi stands. Without any further proof that Mrs. Swann was at the crime scene at the time of the murder, I have no choice but to declare Ms. Mousey Malone guilty."

"N-no, Your Honor, please," gasped Ms. Annette, looking miserable. "I…p-please, sir, can't I have one more chance? Just one more, teeny-weeny chance? I know Swann did it! I just know it!"

The judge gave her a stern look. "Be that as it may," he admonished her, "Unless you are capable of convincing this court, your certainty is of little use to any of us. Well?"

For a long moment, the stricken defense attorney stared back and forth between her client and the witness, who was now grinning smugly as she leaned against the stand.

"No, I…" Ms. Annette swallowed hard, then slowly shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she prepared to admit defeat. "I've got nothing…absolutely nothing. Oh, hell!"

The judge shook his head sympathetically. "Ah, well," he said, raising his gavel. "In that case, I believe it is time to call an end to this trial. The court finds the defendant, Ms. Mousey Malone-!"

"Boss!" Athena was squirming in her seat. "Do something!"

"What can I do?" Phoenix shrugged. "Trust me…and watch Edgeworth."

"Huh? Mr. Edgeworth?" Apollo glanced over at him. "Wait, what's he doing?"

_What's he doing? _Slowly, Phoenix smiled to himself. _H__e's doing the right thing. Just watch. _

Before the judge had a chance to finish his declaration, Edgeworth suddenly straightened up and cleared his throat.

O-objection," he announced, with only slightly less than his usual arrogant confidence. "I, ah…I object to the declaration of a verdict at this time, Your Honor."

"Hey!" Athena perked up. "He's-!"

"Quiet," snapped Apollo. Athena stuck her tongue out at him, but fell dutifully silent.

"Oh? You do?" The judge turned to Edgeworth, looking surprised. "And why is that, Mr. Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth opened his mouth, couldn't seem to think of anything to say, then shut it, frowned, and tried again.

"I, er, believe that we need to hear further testimony from the witness," he muttered. "The case is still not entirely clear to me. There is, I'm afraid, still a great deal of room for doubt as to this woman's guilt. With all due respect, I feel that a verdict at this time would be premature."

Edgeworth shot a stern, significant look at Ms. Annette. Ms. Annette just stared back at him, wide-eyed and obviously incredulous.

The judge sat there for a moment, looking puzzled, then shrugged and returned his attention to Ms. Annette.

"Very well, then," he announced. "Mr. Edgeworth seems to feel that more testimony is required. Ms. Annette, do you agree?"

"Y-yes, Your Honor! Abso-posi-lutely," gasped Ms. Annette. "I'll…I'd like to ask to the witness about, ah…about….?"

She floundered, looking lost and desperate.

Edgeworth gave her an irritated look.

"I personally would like to hear the witness describe the nature of her relationship with the deceased," he supplied smoothly.

The judge looked genuinely stunned.

"Um," he demanded."You…you would?"

Edgewoerth winced. "Not particularly, Your Honor," he admitted, "but I feel that it could be useful in clearing up some little concerns that I have about this case. Ms. Annette? Is that acceptable to you?"

Edgeworth gave Ms. Annette a little bow, then looked up very sharply at her and raised one significant eyebrow.

_He's giving you one last chance to find something to use against her, _thought Phoenix, glaring at Ms. Annette. _Don't blow it! Make this last cross-examination count! _

Ms. Annette nodded hastily.

"Y-yes, please," she said. "Um, I…I'd love to hear the witness testify about her personal relationship with the victim. I'm sure it's…super significant! Abso-posi-lutely!"

The judge glanced back and forth between the two lawyers, then shrugged, and settled back on the bench.

"Very well," he sighed. "Witness, you may proceed with your testimony, although I confess I have no idea what the two of you are trying to achieve with this."

Mrs. Swann, looking suddenly a lot less smug, coughed a few times, ran a hand through her luxurious black hair, and then began speaking.

Phoenix just grinned to himself as he watched the shrewd, focused look on Edgeworth's face.

_Good old Edgeworth, _he thought. _Always the noble one…_

Then, suddenly and inexplicably, Edgeworth turned and looked into the gallery. He locked eyes with Phoenix almost instantly, and Phoenix felt his breath catch in his throat as they both stared, startled, at one another.

_Oh dear, _thought Phoenix. _I think I'm blushing. Keep it together, Phoenix!_

Edgeworth's face was also turning pink. With a short little cough, he quickly looked away from Phoenix and returned h is attention forcefully to the witness.

"Boss?" Athena tugged on his arm." Hey, boss…are you feeling okay? Your heart just skipped a beat!"

Phoenix swallowed hard. "What? Me? Oh, um, it's nothing. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about at all, hehe. Uh..."

Athena gave him a doubtful look.

"P-pay attention," he instructed her, pointing hastily at the witness. "This is the important part."

**A short time later, in the defendant's lobby…**

After the trial ended, Phoenix, Apollo and Athena joined the rest of the excitedly chattering onlookers in the lobby.

"Wow," muttered Apollo, clearly impressed. "I have to admit, I was starting to think there was no way that attorney could win her case, and then…just like that, the whole thing turned around! She got her 'Not Guilty' verdict after all!

"She sure did," agreed Phoenix. "It was close, though."

"Really close," agreed Athena, eyes wide. "If it hadn't been for the Chief Prosecutor giving her that opening, there's no way she'd have won that case! It was amazing, the way he jumped in at the end and saved the day, just like a Knight in Shining Armor!"

Athena fluttered her eyelashes expressively, sighing a little to herself.

Phoenix frowned. _Uh…well, yeah. Interesting metaphor choice, there, though. Not sure how Edgeworth would feel about that. _

"He's a great man," agreed Apollo, nodding. "One of the best prosecutors I've ever seen, and one of the most honest, too. He must have figured out that the witness was guilty after all. Not a lot of prosecutors would have helped the defense turn the tables like that."

"Simon's honest," countered Athena defensively.

Apollo thought about that for a moment. "Yeah, well, okay, Gavin isn't so bad either," he admitted eventually, "but you get my point, right?"

Phoenix was busy watching Edgeworth make his way silently out of the courtroom, being completely ignored by the celebrating crowd. Edgeworth held his head high, looking tired as he made quickly for the stairwell that led to his own upstairs office.

"Yeah," muttered Phoenix. "Yeah, I see your point, Apollo."

_Edgeworth really is a great guy, _thought Phoenix as Athena and Apollo hurried over to congratulate the flustered-looking Ms. Annette. _Sure, maybe it took him a little while to figure that out, again, after what happened with the DL-6 case, but he's…well, he's a better man than most of us. He's probably a_ _better man than me. You don't see him losing his cool, even though he basically threw the case after he figured out that that Mrs. Swann was guilty. I bet he's seething inside, but he did it anyway...because it was the right thing to do. Because, unlike a lot of local prosecutors, he really believes in this syst_em. _He believes in justice for both the innocent and the guilty. Apollo and Athena could learn a lot from watching him work. So could I, I guess._

Frowning to himself, Phoenix stared after Edgeworth's retreating back as Edgeworth disappeared into the stairwell.

_It's not true, though, what he said before, _he thought. _He doesn't see this as 'just a job,' at all. If he did, he'd never have been able to turn the tables like that and let himself lose his own case. It's just as personal for him as it is for me, just maybe in a different way. I'm sure that's true. _

"Hey, boss!" Athena was waving to him from the other side of the room. "Everybody else is going for noodles! Do you want to come? Ms. Annette says she's never been to Eldoon's before!"

"Seriously? Never?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "She's missing out. Yeah, sure, I'll come. Why not? Oh, we'd better call Maya, too, though. She and Pearl will be furious if they find out we ate at Eldoon's without them."

While Athena used Apollo's phone to call Maya, Phoenix left the courthouse and strode thoughtfully out into the parking lot.

_I get it, Edgeworth, _he thought. _I know you…and I know what you are. You're not my enemy, and honestly, you never have been. I just wish I could convince you that I understand that. How am I supposed to get through to you, and_ _what the heck are you really afraid of? _

"Hey," called Apollo from inside. "Mr. Wright!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Shaking his head to try and dispel the gloom, Phoenix turned around and headed back into the courthouse to join them.

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Hah! Managed to finish a chapter again, JUST in time to make it to rehearsal.

This one took a while, too.

Please, if you're raeding, let me know what you think! I'll return the favor one of these days.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Author's Note: **I have another unexpected day off of work today! Amazing! This is going to be TERRIBLE for the students and for the rehearsal schedule. It will set us back at least a week, but at least I'll get to update a few more times. Anyone think I can get to chapter ten by Thursday? Want to bet?

I'm not even sure which side of that bet I'd take, but let's at least see how much I can get done.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**February 21, 2029**

**3:00 PM**

**The Chief Prosecutor's Office**

Edgeworth stood in front of his desk, gazing thoughtfully at the brand new painting that he'd just had hung on the wall behind his massive office chair. It was a full-sized color portrait of a stern but kind-faced man with slicked back dark hair and thick-framed, square-rimmed glasses. Edgeworth had commissioned the painting several months ago, from a lesser-known California portrait artist whom he'd recently seen showing work in a Los Angeles amateur gallery.

_It's quite good, _he decided, extremely pleased. _The likeness is uncanny, especially around the eyes. _

"Mr. Edgeworth?" There was a loud, heavy-handed knock on the office door. "Hey, pal, uh, sorry to bother you, but you got a second?"

"Come in, Detective," called Edgeworth without taking his eyes off the painting. "Yes, I may even have two or three seconds."

"Great, thanks!" Gumshoe pushed open the door and strode in, looking around at the lavish office furniture with the same sort of wide-eyed, vaguely puzzled reverence as always. "I brought the investigation report that you asked for. Here you go. Whoa, hey! Is that, uh, new?"

Edgeworth turned around to find that Gumshoe had noticed the portrait.

"Uh…n-not bad," mumbled Gumshoe, scratching at his head and whistling softly under his breath. "Awfully big, though, isn't it? Feels like no matter where I'd go in the room, he'd still be staring at me." He shuddered a little. "Kind of a creepy feeling...uh, n-not that picture's creepy. That's...that's not what I meant."

Edgeworth just nodded absently.

"Detective," he asked, "do you know who this is?"

"Huh? Course I do," insisted Gumshoe emphatically. "Everybody knows Mr. Gregory Edgeworth, sir. He's almost as much of a legend as you are."

_A legend, _thought Edgeworth sadly. _Yes…I suppose my father is a legend. He was a hero in his own way, although not, I'm afraid to this department. _

"Last week," murmured Edgeworth aloud, "I turned thirty-five. My father was thirty-five when he died...and of course, he was already a well-renowned defense attorney by that time."

"Oh, uh, yeah? Is that so?" Gumshoe bit his lip, uncomfortably. "Well, you're, uh, no slouch yourself, pal. I mean, you're one of the greatest prosecutors we've ever seen in this district! I bet your old man'd be real proud of you, sir." He grinned.

_Ah, _thought Edgeworth, flinching and shutting his eyes. _So…that's what you think, Detective? I see. _

"Hey…you okay, Mr. Edgeworth?" Gumshoe was now giving Edgeworth a doubtful look. "You seem, uh, kinda different somehow. Uh, no offense, or nothing, but-!"

"Detective," interrupted Edgeworth, "permit me. May I ask you a ridiculously whimsical question?"

"Wh-whimsical?" Gumshoe looked confused, apparently struggling to sort out the meaning of the word. "Uh, sure, pal, you can always ask me anything. What's up?"

"Have you ever," inquired Edgeworth, still focusing his attention on Gregory Edgeworth's painting, "had a dream, Detective? Understand, I am not referring to a nightmare or anything of that kind. I'm asking about your childhood aspirations. Did you have any?"

"Me, sir? Oh, ho, I'm glad you asked." Gumshoe puffed up his chest self-importantly. "As a matter of fact, sir, I did sort of have a dream, if you want to put it that way. When I was a kid, I, uh, wanted to be a wizard, actually."

Edgeworth paused, took a moment to process that, then cleared his throat.

"Ah, yes," he muttered. "I…vaguely remember you mentioning something of the sort."

Gumshoe grinned. "Yup! Kids can be pretty silly, huh? I even had a pretend magic wand made out of sticks and old backyard garbage that I'd use to cast magic spells, and-!"

"You didn't," interrupted Edgeworth, "have any more…realistic dreams, then?"

Gumshoe frowned. "Realistic? Where's the fun in that, pal? Oh, well, uh, if you really want to know, I guess I've always sort of wanted to be a police Detective. I used to make my own police equipment out of odds and ends when I was a kid, and I'd run around the house yelling 'stop, thief,' and stuff like that. Ho ho ho…" He grinned in reminiscence. "Drove my Mom and my sisters crazy until they finally kicked me out of the house and made me go play with the neighbors kids. Then we'd play cops and robbers, and I'd always 'get my man!"Those were the days, sir. Oh boy, I haven't thought about that in a long time…"

"I see." Edgeworth nodded to himself. "So in the end…you realized your dream. You are, after all, a police Detective, even if there have been a few demotions and career-changes along the way."

Gumshoe just shrugged good-naturedly. "We all have our ups and downs, pal. Yeah, I guess you could say I got my wish in the long run. Feels pretty great to be living the dream!"

_Yes, _thought Edgeworth. _I'm sure I've heard him say something about all of this before…or perhaps it was Wright who told me. I must admit to some small amazement that the good Detective managed to get as far as he did. Still, he's a good man at heart, and a good Detective…sometimes. _

"I'm happy for you," said Edgeworth.

"Oh, uh, well, thanks, Mr. Edgeworth." Gumshoe beamed at him. "If you don't mind me asking, though, why all the questions?"

_It was only one question, really, _thought Edgeworth absently.

"No reason," he insisted. "Just idle speculation on my part. I'll have that investigation report now, if you please."

After Gumshoe had left, and as Edgeworth sat at his desk and perused the report, he could feel the eyes of his father's portrait boring holes into his back.

**Meanwhile, at the Wright Anything Ageny…**

Phoenix was sitting at his own desk in his own office, reading the latest news off of his computer screen when Maya opened the door and barged in without knocking.

"Hey, Nick," she called, bouncing into the chair on the other side of the desk. "Wow, it's quiet in here. Where is everybody? I was hoping we could all go out for dinner, or something."

"It's too early for dinner," remarked Phoenix with his nose still in a news article.

"Oh." Maya frowned. "Well, how about a late lunch, then?"

"It's way too late for lunch," returned Phoenix. "Anyway, Athena and Apollo are both in Apollo's office with a potential client. I'm not sure when they'll be finished, so I don't think today's a good day for a dinner date. Sorry, Maya."

"Aw, man!" Maya slumped unhappily in her chair. "But I 'm sooo hungry, Nick!"

_You're always hungry, _thought Phoenix. _How many 'extra stomachs' do you have, again? _

"There's leftover Eldoon's in the freezer," he informed her.

Maya made a face. "What? But those noodles are almost a week old!"

"You said you were hungry," countered Phoenix, shrugging. "You'll either have to deal with old, cold noodles, or you'll have to go out to eat without us. Them's the breaks."

Maya stuck her tongue out at him.

_Oh, _thought Phoenix. _Right. So that's where Athena picked that up from…_

Maya was just opening her mouth to protest when the door across the way slammed aggressively shut, and several sets of footsteps could be heard in the hall.

Maya perked up immediately.

"Oh, great," she announced, jumping to her feet. "Sounds like they're done! Let's go!"

Phoenix frowned.

"Something doesn't sound right," he muttered, hurrying to the door and stepping out into the hallway. "Apollo? Athena? Everything okay out here?"

Apollo and Athena were both standing and staring at the open doorway that led out onto the street.

"Uh, yeah," muttered Apollo, frowning at the retreating back of a tall figure who was making his way hurriedly down the sidewalk "Sure, Mr. Wright. Everything's fine."

Athena looked furious. Clenching and unclenching both her fists at her sides, she fumed and seethed like a waking volcano.

"Can you believe it," she demanded, turning on Apollo and glaring. "The NERVE of that guy! How the heck are we supposed to defend somebody who refuses to even TRY telling us the truth?"

Apollo shrugged. "We wouldn't have taken his case anyway," he reminded her. "You said it yourself. He was guilty as hell. There's nothing we can do for him."

Athena sighed. "Yeah…yeah, I guess you're right, but, still, Pollo-!"

"So," interrupted Phoenix. "I guess it didn't go so well with the new client, then?"

Apollo shook his head. "He's, uh…not a good fit for us."

"Not that we can really afford to be that picky," remarked Athena. "Still, it doesn't feel right taking on the defense of a guy who you just KNOW is really guilty. You're always telling us that we have to believe in our clients, Mr. Wright. Well…there was no believing in this guy. Every time he opened his mouth to tell a new lie his heart gave him away. You can't hide the truth from Athena Cykes!"

Athena crossed both arms over her chest, obviously still seriously annoyed.

_Oh, right, _thought Phoenix. _Athena can tell people are lying by reading their heartbeats. I guess that settles it, then. It's a shame, because we could have used the business, but she's right about one thing. We're not the kind of law firm that fights to get 'not guilty' verdicts for genuine criminals._

"Oh well," he said, giving Athena and Apollo each a comforting clap on the shoulder. "Better luck next time, I guess. In the meantime, are either of you hungry? Maya was hoping we could all go out for dinner."

"Great," sighed Apollo, clearly relieved. "I'm starving. Let's-!"

"Wait, NICK!" Maya suddenly grabbed on to Phoenix's shirt. "What are you talking about? This is no time for food!"

Phoenix, Athena and Apollo all turned to stare at Maya in shock.

"No time…for food?" Phoenix blinked. "What…what are you talking about? Aren't you the one who was hungry, two minutes ago?"

"Boss," whispered Athena urgently." Should I call an ambulance?"

Maya just shook her head." Well, of course I'm hungry, but this is serious! Nick, you have to go catch that client!"

"I..I do?" Phoenix was still confused. "Why?"

"Because," shouted Maya, starting to get annoyed, "he's obviously GUILTY, right? Athena said so, and Athena knows her stuff! You NEED him! You've been waiting for this opportunity! Don't let it get away from you! Quick, after him!"

Maya pointed emphatically at the doorway, but no one else moved. Athena, Phoenix and Apollo all exchanged a quick, concerned look.

"Okay," decided Athena, nodding to herself. "I'm calling the ambulance. Maya, I think you're starting to lose it."

"Nick," demanded Maya, turning on Phoenix. "Tell them!"

"I…wait, tell them what?" Phoenix shrugged. "Honestly, Maya, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Ugh, you can be really dense, sometimes," muttered Maya, planting both hands on her hips and glaring. "Remember? We talked about this last week. It's part of our plan to prove to Mr. Edgeworth that you're not a sore loser! You need a guilty client, right? So, here's your big chance!"

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Apollo frowned. "What does the Chief Prosecutor have to do with this?"

"Huh? OH!" Athena's eyes widened, and she started to grin. "I knew it! I knew it, Mr. Wright, you're-!"

"Oooookay," interrupted Phoenix, flushing and holding up both hands in frantic protest." Let's…let's not say any more about that, all right? Maya, I thought I told you already – your plan won't work. There are so many reasons why this is a terrible idea. I'm sorry, but-!"

"Nick!" Maya stamped her foot and continued to stare him down. "This is Mr. Edgeworth we're talking about! If you want to impress him, you have to be bold! You have to make dangerous choices! Is there really anything you wouldn't do for him? Because if there s, then it's not really love!"

"Gak!" Phoenix flinched.

Apollo's jaw dropped. "L-Love?"

Athena looked delighted. "This is fantastic…boss, you're adorable!"

"A-adorable?" Phoenix could feel the situation getting away from him, and now his whole face was on fire. "C-come on, guys, can we please drop it? Don't you have some…work, or something, that you need to be getting back to? Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I need to clean the bathroom…"

"Okay," announced Athena, making a split-second decision and racing suddenly for the door. "We support you all the way, boss! I don't know what you need him for, but I'm going to go catch that client!"

"Wha-!" began Phoenix.

Without waiting for a response, Athena took off through the office door and raced down the street in the direction that the guilty client had gone.

"Mr. Creacher," she called. "Wait! Wait! I need to talk to you!"

"A-Athena," stammered Phoenix helplessly, but it was too late. She was already gone.

_Oh dear, _he thought. _That escalated quickly. _

"Wow, Nick," remarked Maya, beaming at him. "You're really lucky to have such devoted understudies who care about you so much!"

Phoenix and Apollo shared an awkward, sidelong look.

"Hey," muttered Apollo, turning back towards his office and shrugging. "Don't look at me."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **So, I know that Gumshoe has discussed his childhood dreams in-game before, but I couldn't remember exactly which games those discussions had taken place in. I know he talks about wanting to be a wizard in "Bridge to the Turnabout," but I can't remember where he talks about wanting to be a police Detective.

Therefore, please forgive poor, forgetful Edgeworth for not remembering when and where he'd heard Gumshoe's stories before. It's not that he doesn't pay attention…it's just that he's a little pre-occupied, right now. You know. With love stuff.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: **I've been playing through Turnabout Goodbyes again, because of all the wonderful Nick/Edgeworth feels in that case. I'm really enjoying it, and it's helping me flesh out the rest of this story very well.

I should warn you, though – I've been updating like a fiend lately because I'm stuck at home due to weather.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be working twelve hours a day, again, so updates will be a LOT less frequent. Maybe a couple of times a week at most. Of course, I've still got that Persona story to work on as well, so we'll see how things go. I am pretty fixated on this one at the moment.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**February 22, 2029**

**9:00 AM**

**District Courthouse Lobby**

Phoenix had arrived early that morning, and was sitting on the sofa in the lobby of Courtroom No. 1, reading through his notes and his plan of attack for the umpteenth time.

_This is terrifying, _he thought miserably. _Who would have thought that trying to lose a case would be so much more nerve-wracking than trying to win one? I wish Apollo and Athena were here, but I can't drag them down with me on this one. I have to do this by myself…to prove myself to Edgeworth. _

He was so caught up in his reading, in fact, that at first he didn't pay much attention when heard someone walk down the hallway. It was only a few minutes later, when he tucked his notes away in his briefcase again that Phoenix looked up and saw Edgeworth standing and frowning at the door to the courthouse stairwell.

Almost as soon as he caught sight of Edgeworth, Phoenix's heart started racing again.

_Ack, _he thought miserably. _I guess I should count myself lucky that Edgeworth doesn't know Athena's trick of listening to people's hearts. What's he doing over there, anyway? Is there some problem with the stairs?_

Standing up, Phoenix tried peering around Edgeworth to see what the trouble was.

After inching a little bit closer, he could see that there was a white piece of printer paper pasted to the stairwell door.

**OUT OF ORDER**, read the sign in big, red letters. **PAINTING IN PROGRESS.**

_Oh, _thought Phoenix. _That's right, they're painting the stairs, today. _

As Phoenix watched, Edgeworth frowned to himself, shoved his hands down into his pockets and cast a quick look over his shoulder at the elevator on the other side of the hallway. Phoenix could see the sweat beginning to pool on Edgeworth's forehead.

_Huh? Oh…oh, I get it. _Phoenix nodded to himself. _If he wants to go up to his office he'll have to use the elevator. Edgeworth hates elevators, especially when he's all alone. There must be something pretty important waiting for him up there if he's really considering it. Maybe he left his trial notes on his desk, or something. I do that all the time…_

As casually as he could, Phoenix stood up, stretched, yawned, and then sidled over to where Edgeworth was standing, hoping against hope that Edgeworth wouldn't be able to hear the racket his thumping heart was making, which got louder and more intense the closer to Edgeworth he got.

_It didn't used to be like this, _he thought, annoyed. _Why am I suddenly losing control every time I look at him? Huh, he does look pretty good today, though. Wait, is that a new suit? I think it's sort of…more mauve than his old one. A little rufflier, too. I think Miles might have lost weight…it's showing in his cheekbones. He's always had amazing cheekbones. W-wait, I can't be thinking about this right now. I've got a job to do, and a trial after that! Focus, Wright!_

"Uh, h-hey there," he called to Edgeworth, nonchalantly punching the "up" button on the elevator panel and trying to relax the nervous muscles in his face. "Going up?"

Edgeworth started in surprise, turned and stared at him. For a moment, their eyes met, and Edgeworth turned pale.

"W-Wright," he managed, clearing his throat. "I…my apologies, I didn't see you there."

"Oh, uh, no problem," replied Phoenix, finding that now he couldn't tear his eyes away from Edgeworth's face. "I, uh, was just going over some notes for the trial."

Edgeworth frowned. "The Creacher trial…I see. You're aware, of course, that I'll be prosecuting this trial."

_I was counting on it, _thought Phoenix. _Actually, if you hadn't decided to take this trial, I'd be in some serious trouble. Good thing Gavin and Blackquill are both out sick today. There's a higher power on my side, for once…or maybe it's the week-old noodles that Maya had delivered to their offices last night. I'd like to state, for the record, that I had NOTHING whatsoever to do with that decision. _

"Uh, yeah," he said aloud. "I heard. Weird coincidence, right?"

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.

"You look…different," he muttered suspiciously. "There's something shifty about you. You're hiding something."

Phoenix's eyes widened and he shook his head emphatically.

"What? Me? No way! Why would you even think that?" He tried to grin, but his face felt awkward. "Heheh…that's probably just the dedicated prosecutor in you acting up again."

Edgeworth paused a moment, then shrugged and turned away. "Perhaps you're right. My apologies, Wright."

_Phew, _thought Phoenix. _This is bad for my heart…on a lot of levels._

"This will be the first time we've argued opposite one another since…the events of the Valentine's Day weekend," muttered Edgeworth, gazing fixedly at the courtroom wall. "I've been meaning to talk to you, Wright, but the chance has not presented itself."

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix eagerly, _I want to talk to you, too. There are a hundred things I'd like to say._

"Perhaps after the trial today, we could have lunch," Edgeworth was saying. "As the conversation will be somewhat private in nature, it might be best if we lunched in my office, if you're willing."

"S-sure!" Phoenix grinned." Yeah, sounds great. Let's do that."

"Excellent." Edgeworth looked a little relieved, and hazarded a rare half-smile. Phoenix felt something warm welling up somewhere deep inside him, and now there was nothing forced about the big, giddy grin that was spreading across his face.

"My secretary has just informed me," muttered Edgeworth, still staring directly at the wall, "that there was call from Ms. Faraday on my office phone. If I go now, I might have time to return it before the trial begins, but…"

His gaze flicked resentfully over to the "Out of Order" sign on the stairwell.

At the same moment, the elevator dinged, and the elevator doors slid open.

"Oh, yeah?" Phoenix nodded. "Kay called? That's cool. I have to go upstairs too, to, uh, use the men's room. Guess we'll have to go together."

Edgeworth looked doubtful. "There is a men's room on this floor," he reminded Phoenix.

Phoenix rubbed uncomfortably at the back of his neck. "Right, but it's broken. Um, something about the pipes. Are you coming?"

Without waiting for a response, he stepped quickly into the elevator. After a moment's hesitation, Edgeworth followed him, and the doors closed in front of them.

For a few moments, they rode the elevator in silence. Edgeworth's entire body had gone stiff and rigid the moment the doors had closed, and he was clutching at the decorative lip on the elevator wall.

_Poor guy, _thought Phoenix. _Some phobias are hard to shake, I guess._

"Wright," said Edgeworth quietly, "I'm not a fool. I'm aware that there's no men's room on the second floor."

_Ack. _Phoenix cringed.

"R-really? There isn't?" He feigned alarm and shook his head. "That's no good. There should be bathrooms on every floor in this building. I mean, what if someone has an emergency?"

"Hmph," muttered Edgeworth. "No doubt you have no business on the second floor at all. I assume that you're accompanying me on this little elevator jaunt purely to assure that I don't have to ride the thing alone. It is the sort of thing you would do."

_Busted, _thought Phoenix guiltily.

He braced himself, certain that Edgeworth was going to get angry about treated like a child.

Instead, Edgeworth only flashed him a soft, absent sort of smile, and nodded as the elevator stopped and the doors opened again on the second floor.

"Thank you," he said, stepping out into the hallway. "I'll see you at the trial, then."

After standing and gazing awkwardly after Edgeworth for a moment, Phoenix had no choice but to turn around and ride the elevator back down to the first floor.

_Wait, _he wondered on the way down, _are there really no bathrooms on the second floor? That's…that's actually a terrible design plan. What were the architects thinking?_

**Some short time later, inside Courtroom No. 1…**

Phoenix stood alone behind the defense's bench, trying to keep his nerves in check.

_This is it, _he thought. _Time to lose as gracefully as I can…I hope._

Opposite him, behind the prosecution's bench, Edgeworth was looking calm, and put-together as ever, his notes laid out neatly in front of him.

It was only the deep dark circles under his slightly blood-shot eyes that gave him away.

_Something's up with Edgeworth, _thought Phoenix. _He looks like he hasn't been sleeping, again. _

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," announced the judge, looking back and forth between defense and prosecution. "We very rarely get to see the two of you facing off against one another nowadays, and yet in the past two weeks, you've met in the courtroom twice! Your arguments always make for deliciously exciting trials. I'm rather looking forward to this."

Edgeworth gave the judge a polite little bow. "Thank you, Your Honor."

_You're looking forward to this, Your Honor? Well, that makes ONE of us. _Phoenix sighed.

"Well," asked the judge. "Are we all prepared?"

Phoenix nodded and straightened up. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

"The prosecution is also ready," declared Edgeworth.

"Wonderful." The judge nodded. "Then, in that case, the prosecution may call it's first witness."

Edgeworth inclined his head, and gestured to the gallery. "Thank you. I would like to begin by summoning Detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand, to relate to the court the details of the case as we know them at present."

Onlookers in the gallery murmured and whispered to one another while Gumshoe plodded down the aisle and up to the witness stand.

Phoenix took that opportunity to glance over at the defendant's box, where a tall, blond man with a pert little moustache and a slimy-looking half-smile on his lips was standing and watching the proceedings.

_Edwin Creacher, _thought Phoenix distastefully. _Owner of the Creacher Feature traveling sideshow. I've met a lot of people in my years as a defense attorney, but I don't think I've ever met anyone who screams guilty as loudly as this guy does. He's a real sleazy piece of work, and frankly he makes my skin crawl. I'll be glad when this is over. At least we got lucky enough to find to a man who not only IS guilty, but also looks and sounds guilty. Sometimes, it's the sweetest, cutest ones that are the real criminals, but not this time. There's no way they find this guy innocent, no matter how good of a case I make. The evidence against him is pretty damning, probably because he actually did do it. In any other circumstance, I'd be sweating bullets right now._

"If you don't mind, Your Honor," Edgeworth was saying, "I will allow the decisive evidence to stand in place of my opening statement. Detective Gumshoe, your testimony, I you please."

"Right, Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Gumshoe nodded emphatically, then began.

"I'm pretty happy to say," he told the court, "that for once, this is a no-brainer of a clear-cut case. There's no doubt at all, pal. This guy's guilty as hell, and I'm gonna prove it to ya!"

_Great, _thought Phoenix. _You do that, Detective._

Gumshoe messily cleared his throat.

"The body of Ms. Lucky Strique," he went on, "was found by her neighbors at ten o'clock AM yesterday, the twenty-first of February. Autopsy results confirm that the time of death was sometime between six and seven in the morning, so not too long before they found her. As it turns out, Ms. Strique was a contortionist in some sort of creepy traveling show run by the, uh, defendant, Mr. Creacher over there. We learned from the neighbors that Ms. Strique's fiancé had just proposed, so she was planning on quitting the show and moving to Ohio, or something. There's your motive."

_A little vague, _thought Phoenix, frowning thoughtfully to himself, _but if I press him a little bit then I'm sure I can_ _get some more damning details out of him. As usual, good old Gumshoe's testimony is just a little forgetful. Nothing I can't handle._

Suddenly, Phoenix became aware that Edgeworth was watching him with a strange, dubious look on his face. He hastily gave Gumshoe his full attention, wondering if he looked as nervous and weirdly out of sorts as he felt.

"The victim was hit over the head with this gold cat statue," Gumshoe went on, holding up the half-broken statue of cat, seated on it's hind legs. It looked as though someone had painted it with very shiny gold lame, which was chipping off in some places. "Apparently, this thing usually stands in the defendant's trailer. We found it there, covered with his fingerprints and the victim's blood, when we searched the place."

"Oh my," murmured the judge. "Yes, that certainly is what I would refer to as 'decisive' evidence. Please continue, Detective."

_Edgeworth is still watching me, _realized Phoenix uncomfortably. _Ugh, I must be giving myself away. I'll have to really play this like I mean it if I'm going to convince him._

As Gumshoe's testimony came to a close, Phoenix took a quick look over his shoulder at the defendant, then shivered a little with distaste.

_It's not just that sleazy guy that's creeping me out, _he realized unhappily. _This whole situation feels wrong. As a defense attorney, it's my job to do the best that I possibly can for my client, no matter what the circumstances. At the same time, I don't want to risk getting this guy declared innocent, when the world would be a much safer place without him. _

"Mr. Wright," demanded the judge." Your cross-examination, please."

Phoenix swallowed hard.

"Y-yes, Your Honor," he began, frowning first at the defendant, and then back at Gumshoe.

_I never want to do this again, _he thought, taking a deep breath. _For now, though…I think there's only one way that I can play this. I have to argue like I mean it, and really give this case my best shot. I wouldn't be being honest with myself if I did anything else, and I'll never convince Edgeworth by faking it. I have to believe in Edgeworth, and to trust that even if I really put up a spirited defense, he'll still manage to win this case. Just like Apollo says, he's the best prosecutor I know. I have trust him to get the right verdict, even though I won't be throwing the case for him. That's the only way that this can be a genuinely fair trial. _

Maya's idea of purposefully defending a guilty client no longer felt even remotely plausible as Phoenix watched the nervous, expectant look on Detective Gumshoe's face.

_Okay, _thought Phoenix. _No turning back now. Let's get this over with…for Edgeworth. Yeah. Yeah, I can do this for him. It's like Maya said – sometimes, you have to make sacrifices for love._

Unfortunately, even that resolve didn't really make Phoenix feel any less dirty about the defense he was about to conduct.

"Detective Gumshoe," he began, taking a deep breath. "I have some questions about the murder weapon. You say that it 'usually' stood in the defendant's room. How do you know that?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

I am one chapter away from 10. That's a new record for me, in five days. I can do this!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Author's Note: **I…actually feel kind of sick. Also, I'm dizzy. Maybe writing this many pages in one day is a bad idea after all.

…I do get carried away, sometimes. Well, let's see if I can round out ten before I pass out…

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**February 22, 2029**

**11:10 AM**

**Courtroom No. 1**

Only a couple of hours later, the trial of The State vs. Edwin Creacher was in full, aggressive swing, and drawing rapidly to a big finish.

"OBJECTION!" Phoenix stood up to his full height and pointed accusingly across at Edgeworth. "How can you be so sure that Mr. Creacher entered the apartment before the murder was committed? He doesn't show up on any of the security cameras, and none of the other residents can remember having seen him!"

Edgeworth just shook his head and wagged a finger at Phoenix. "You forget, Mr. Wright," he retorted, "that the victim as found to be wearing the tell-tale gold toenail polish when her body was discovered! According to her neighbors, she had very definitely NOT been wearing that same polish when they'd encountered her in the hallway only hours before the murder was committed!"

Phoenix frowned." What? That doesn't prove anything! That nailpolish could have come from anywhere! My own understudy has a bottle of gold nailpolish that looks just like it!

"Objection!" Edgeworth looked doubtful. "Athena Cykes does not wear nailpolish."

"Objection," countered Phoenix, planting his hands on his hips and glaring at Edgeworth. "How do you know? You've probably never had an opportunity to examine her toenails!"

"And," asked Edgeworth, raising an eyebrow, "you have?"

"What?" Phoenix blinked, and then suddenly flushed. "No! No, no no no, it's nothing like that! Sometimes she wears open-toed shoes in the office, that's all. You know…in the summer?"

He coughed uncomfortably, and Edgeworth cleared his throat.

"It doesn't matter," said Edgeworth, shaking his head. "My point, Wright, has nothing to do with Ms. Cykes' toenails. Rather, what is significant here is that the gold toenailpolish found on Ms. Strique came, conclusively, from a bottle of nailpolish not sold in stores, but rather produced by Mr. Creacher specifically for the adornment of the ladies of his cast during the final number of their act! No one else could possibly hav provided her with that specific bottle."

Phoenix, temporarily at a loss, had to think hard about that one for a moment.

_Well, _he decided, _yeah, okay, that's true, but…_

"It just doesn't make sense," he insisted. "Why would Creacher have put the nailpolish on her AFTER he killed her?"

"No doubt," returned Edgeworth almost instantly, "he had her apply the nailpolish herself, prior to her murder."

Phoenix shook his head. "Why? There's still no good reason why he'd have done that. If he really was guilty of her murder, he'd have wanted to make as clean a getaway as possible. In that case, why use the nailpolish at all? It's his, right? So, it only ties him in to the murder. If he was really trying to cover his tracks, he'd have done everything he could have to PREVENT her from wearing it, so that no one could have connected him with the crime!"

That, in turn, seemed to stump Edgeworth, who looked startled for a moment and then glowered, obviously thinking as quickly as he could.

For a long moment, there was a hushed, nervous silence in the courtroom.

"Well, Mr. Edgeworth?" The judge was now watching Edgeworth expectantly. "Can you refute the defense's claim? Mr. Wright does make a point that the defendant would have no reason whatsoever to apply the gold nailpolish. Only a murderer who had no connection to the nailpolish itself would be likely to do that. At least…that's how it seems to me."

"Y-yes, Your Honor," mumbled Edgeworth confusedly. "I must admit that the defense's logic seems sound. However…the fact remains that the murder weapon did most certainly contain the defendant's fingerprints, as well as a set of the victim's fingerprints bathed in her very own blood."

"Yes," agreed the judge, "but Mr. Wright has already established that it's possible for both the fingerprints and the bloodstain to have gotten on to the weapon the previous day, during the ill-fated fourth act of the finale, which, as I understand, resulted in something of a casualty."

"Hmm," muttered Edgeworth, glaring at the notes in front of him on the bench.

_Yes, _thought Phoenix, grinning with triumph as his chest flooded with the pride and relief of a solid win. _I did it! It was close, but I'm winning! I'm going to get my Not Guilty verdict after all!_

It was only after he'd spent a second or two gloating to himself that the penny dropped, the smile slid off of his face and his mouth fell open in shock.

_W-wait…no, this is all wrong! I'm…I'm winning? But, he's guilty! Edgeworth was supposed_ _to prove it! I'm not supposed to win! How is this happening?_

Edgeworth, was now scowling blackly as he poured through the court record. Phoenix risked a glance over at the defendant, Mr. Creacher, who had started to smile again.

_Oh dear, _thought Phoenix frantically as the panic began to set in. _No no…I got carried away! I fought too hard! Miles, do something! Quickly! _

"Well then," the judge began, turning his attention back to Phoenix. "It seems that the prosecution has no further objections. It's been an interesting case, Mr. Wright, but you've managed yet again to scrape through. I see no reason to continue the trial any further."

"Y-yikes!" Desperately, Phoenix racked his brains for a way to stall for time. "Uh, um, Your Honor, wait just a moment, I-!"

"Aha!" Suddenly, Edgeworth looked up triumphantly from the court record, smiling smugly again, his composure fully returned. "Your Honor, with all due respect, I believe that I do, in fact, have one further objection."

Phoenix caught his breath.

"Y-yes," he managed, trying and failing to look nonchalant. "Um…wh-what is it, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Mr. Creacher," demanded Edgeworth, pointing directly at the defendant in the box. "You claim that the bloody fingerprints left on this statue of Bast were placed there on the morning prior to the murder, when the victim, Ms. Strique, injured her hand while performing a triple-backhanded somer-flip onto a poorly-placed bed of nails. Is that correct?"

Creacher nodded, still smiling. "Yes, sir. That's absolutely correct."

Edgeworth just shook his head.

"As a matter of fact," he murmured, "I don't believe it is, Mr. Creacher. As you yourself told us in your earlier testimony, Ms. Strique cut and wounded her left hand during yesterday's practice."

"Y…yes, that is what I said," agreed Creacher cautiously, shooting a slightly nervous glance over at Phoenix.

"However," continued Edgeworth smoothly, jabbing the famous finger at Creacher's chest, "the fingerprints on this statue are have been very clearly made by the victim's RIGHT hand. Why do you suppose there would be blood on the fingers of her right had, unless she had recently used that hand to try and staunch her wound? The wound which YOU gave her, Mr. Creacher, when you bludgeoned her repeatedly with this statue of Bast!"

Creacher's eyes flew open in shock, and the gallery erupted into startled cries and exclamations.

"Order," demanded the judge, banging his gavel repeatedly for silence. "Order! I insist on having order in this courtroom, or I will hold you all in contempt!"

While Edgeworth quietly re-arranged his notes on the bench, Phoenix sagged with relief.

_My heart, _he thought weakly. _I feel faint…_

**Some short time later, in the defendant's lobby…**

Phoenix was struggling with a number of confusing feelings as he drifted out into the lobby, following the rest of the chattering crowd.

_That…was one of the more intense cases that I've had to face, lately, _he thought, watching as the bailiff and two armed policemen led the guilty Edwin Creacher out of the courthouse and towards the parking lot. _I lost…and I put up a good fight. It's embarrassing, but I don't remember the last time I felt this relieved. I'm never, ever going to do this again, if I can help it. This sort of defense just isn't for me. _

He was hot and cold at the same time from the stress and the sweat drying on the back of his neck.

_I probably look like a mess, _he thought, running both hands through his hair, _but I can't go home and rest…not now. First, I have to find Edgeworth._

He eventually spotted Edgeworth standing in front of the stairwell again, apparently considering the advisability of walking up the steps on wet paint.

"Hey, Edgeworth!" Phoenix hurried over, waving to him." Great job in there, today!"

Edgeworth turned around, frowned, and then incline d his head in recognition.

"Thank you, Wright," he muttered. "I…appreciate the congratulations. I'm sorry, of course, that the case did not go your way. There will be other cases."

"Yeah, of course," agreed Phoenix, nodding emphatically. "Besides, let's face it…Creacher was guilty. It's never fun, losing in front of a crowd like that, but justice has been served, right?" He grinned.

Edgeworth narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Wright," he asked "is something wrong? You seem…odd. Well, odder than usual."

_Gee, thanks, Miles, _thought Phoenix.

"Me? Nope, nothing's wrong," he insisted, maybe a bit more forcefully than he'd intended. His voices sounded unusually loud in his own ears. "Why do you ask?"

"You're smiling," noted Edgeworth. "You're speaking very quickly and loudly, as well. You seem…inexplicably giddy, especially considering that you've just rather publicly lost a case and have thus disappointed your client and perhaps permanently damaged your credibility."

Phoenix winced.

_Sheesh, _he thought unhappily. _Well, yeah, when you put it like that…_

"Let's…let's just forget about the case, okay?" Doing his best to shake off the little pang of guilt that kept creeping persistently into the back of his mind, Phoenix sighed."I'm just glad that everything turned out for the best. He was guilty of murder, and you proved it beyond any doubt. I can't argue with that. So…are we still on for lunch?"

Phoenix kept waiting for Edgeworth to start looking impressed, but he never did. Instead, Edgeworth only looked more and more confused.

"Lunch? Er…certainly, if you're still interested," he muttered, still clearly doubtful. "If you'll accompany me up to my office, then, we will have multiple options for local delivery. I suppose we have no choice but to make use of the elevator, so-!"

As he turned back towards the elevator, Edgeworth was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Athena and Apollo.

"Mr. Wright!" Athena called out to Phoenix as she and Apollo hurried over through the crowd. "Congratulations! You did it! You lost the case!"

"This is going to be terrible for business," sighed Apollo miserably. "No offense, Mr. Wright, but your 'perfect record' has taken a couple of hits, lately. You should maybe try to start winning, again."

_Don't worry, Apollo, _thought Phoenix. _We are never going to intentionally do anything like this ever again. Next time, it'll be a real case, with a real client that we can stand behind, I promise. _

"Pollo," snapped Athena, "don't be so heartless! Mr. Wright had to do this! The whole point from the beginning was that he was supposed to lose this case! How else was he supposed to prove his point?"

"Ack," whispered Phoenix frantically." Athena, don't-!"

"What?" Edgeworth turned to glare at Athena. "What is she saying? You…you lost the case on purpose?"

Athena and Apollo finally caught sight of Edgeworth and both of their jaws dropped in surprise.

"O-oh," mumbled Athena. "H-hello there, Mr. Edgeworth."

"Chief Prosecutor, sir," muttered Apollo awkwardly. "We, uh…we didn't realize you were there. Um…"

For a long, tense moment, the four of them stood there and stared at each other in uncomfortable silence.

"Wright," demanded Edgeworth, rounding on Phoenix with danger in his eyes, "what is the meaning of this?"

"Eek," whispered Athena.

"Athena," hissed Apollo, "I think we should go."

Athena bit her lip unhappily. "But," she insisted, "What about Mr. Wright?"

_Nothing you can do for poor old Mr. Wright now, _thought Phoenix miserably. _Actually, Athena, I think you've done quite enough. _

"You and Apollo should go," he told her. "I'll uh…I'll meet you back at the office, later."

_That is, _he thought, looking at the thunderous expression in Edgeworth's eyes, _if I survive that long. _

Reluctantly, Athena let Apollo drag her away. Before long, Phoenix and Edgeworth were the only two people remaining in the lobby, as the rest of the trial-goers had apparently already milled out into the parking lot.

"Uh," began Phoenix uncomfortably, "look, Miles, I can explain-!"

"My office," snapped Edgeworth, turning on his heel and marching into the elevator without a backward glance. "Now, Wright!"

_Oh dear, _thought Phoenix, taking one last, longing look at the lobby as the elevator doors closed him in with the furious, seething Edgeworth. _This…this is not so good. _

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I DID IT.

*passes out*

Please, if you are reading, I'd love it if you'd leave a review! Ari has no food and usually no money, so she subsists almost entirely on your comments.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading, and who hasmade this such a great long fanfiction weekend for me!


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Author's Note: **Oh dear lord, it's actually zero degrees outside (that's a fact, not an exaggeration) and I just ran the death of Caesar fight like thirty or forty times in a row…in the cold. I think I'm going to die.

I hope I don't die, because this chapter is very long, and therefore I have broken it up into two parts. I'll give you the first part now. If I make it through the night, I'll post the second part tomorrow.

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**February 22, 2029**

**12:15 AM**

**The Chief Prosecutor's Office**

Still fuming in stony silence, Edgeworth threw open the doors to his office and stalked inside, with Phoenix trailing unhappily behind.

As soon as he stepped into the office, Phoenix noticed the huge portrait of Gregory Edgeworth hanging behind Edgeworth's desk.

"Oh," he said. "Oh, wow. That's…impressive. Very nice."

Edgeworth ignored him.

Seating himself in his desk chair, he crossed his arms forbiddingly over his chest and glared expectantly at Phoenix.

"Well, Wright," he demanded. "You claimed that you had an explanation for me. I'm waiting."

Phoenix swallowed hard.

"Uh, -y-yeah," he began. "Well, actually, what happened is-!"

"Not," interrupted Edgeworth almost instantly, "that I really require your account. I'm reasonably certain that I already know what your intentions were. No doubt you felt, for some reason that will only ever make sense in your own tortuous mind, that you would be doing me some great service by 'allowing' me to win this case. This was all some sort of show, to provide me with a victory, possibly to 'boost my spirits' in some way? It is very much the sort of thing you would think of, although I had thought your professional standards would have stood in the way of your actually following through with such a notion."

"W-wait," insisted Phoenix, "that's not it. I mean…um, that's not exactly it."

"Do you really think," continued Edgeworth as though he hadn't heard Phoenix at all, "that I have grown so feeble-minded and incapable that I cannot win an argument without your assistance? I am the Chief Prosecutor of this district, Wright. I was chosen for this position because of my competence in the courtroom. I hardly think that I need you to begin purposefully losing cases for my sake, and quite frankly, I'm deeply insulted that you'd consider such a course of action. I had thought that there was a bit more professional courtesy between us, a bit more respect. It seems I was woefully mistaken."

_He's doing the super-formal, extremely professional thing again, _thought Phoenix miserably. _Uh oh. That never bodes well. _

"Edgeworth," explained Phoenix desperately, "no one's trying to say you're incompetent. That's got nothing to do with it. I just-!"

"I had always considered you to be an honest man," muttered Edgeworth, shaking his head and making that sort of terrifying "tsk tsk" noise in the back of his throat, causing Phoenix to feel like a grade schooler who'd just been called to task in the principal's office. "There are hundreds of attorneys in Los Angeles who I would expect to intentionally and voluntarily take on the defense of an obviously guilty client, purely for the money. I'd never imagined, however, that you would be the type accept such a case. You have always been renowned for the faith that you place in the word of your clients. I wouldn't have thought you capable of defending a man in whom you didn't or couldn't believe. Perhaps you've changed, Wright."

Phoenix's mouth fell open in surprise.  
"H-hey," he demanded, suddenly starting to get angry, and not sure he could put up with much more of this." You know it wasn't about the money! I'd…that's not-!"

"Actions, in this case," snapped Edgeworth, "speak louder than words, Mr. Wright."

For a moment, Phoenix just stared at Edgeworth, amazed that his long-time friend could even imagine him doing such a sleazy, mercenary thing.

_He's angrier than I thought, _he realized. _He wouldn't be saying any of this if he'd stopped to think about it for a few seconds. He knows me better than that…right? _

"I'm disappointed in you," muttered Edgeworth, shaking his head and turning away in disgust. "Perhaps that's foolish and idealistic, but I am. I…had assumed better of you. True, you have not in fact, done anything illegal, and yet-!"

"HOLD IT!" Phoenix suddenly banged down both fists aggressively on Edgeworth's desk, aware that if he didn't act fast, Edgeworth wasn't going to stop berating him long enough to get let him get a word in edgewise. "Miles, I didn't do it because I wanted the money! It wasn't even my idea, it was Maya's. All right, I'll admit, it was a terrible idea, but I went along with it because I honestly think I was starting to lose my mind, and I wasn't sure what else to do."

"What else to do?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? What else to do about what?"

Phoenix took a deep, frustrated breath.

"About YOU," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Edgeworth's chest. "I…I was wracking my brain, trying to figure out what I could do about you…and how I could convince you. Okay?"

For the first time, Edgeworth didn't seem to have a ready response to that.

"I…I don't understand," he mumbled confusedly. "Why would you-?"

"You told me last week that you didn't trust me," continued Phoenix, running his hands nervously through his hair, miserably aware that there was no way around it, and that it all had to come out, now. "You said you didn't think that it could ever work out between us because I'm a sore loser who can't deal with anyone else's success. I…I had to prove you wrong, Miles, and there weren't that many other ways to do it. I was getting desperate, and then this guy just walked into my office, guilty as hell, just when I needed him. Apollo and Athena didn't want to defend him, and frankly neither did I, but like I said, I was out of other ideas on how to convince you."

"Convince me," repeated Edgeworth dazedly. "What…?"

"Please," mumbled Phoenix helplessly, sagging back into the chair and throwing up his hands in defeat. "Just…just give me a chance. I'm a better guy than you think I am….and I'll prove it to you. You want more evidence? Just give me some time. I promise I'll give you whatever proof you need."

Phoenix's face felt hot, although he wasn't sure if that was from the embarrassment, the frustration, or just the strength of all the feeling that he'd been holding in every since the Valentine's weekend debacle. He felt ridiculous and ashamed of himself as he watched the blank, vaguely bemused and startled look on Edgeworth's face.

Y-you fool," muttered Edgeworth incredulously into the heavy, ensuing silence.

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix, his heart sinking all the way down into his shoes. _Yeah, that's…kind of what I figured you'd say._

"Look," he said quietly, shaking his head and turning away from Edgeworth. "Just…just forget it, Edgeworth. I'm sorry I made a mess of this. Uh…Apollo and Athena are probably waiting for me downstairs, so I should…go, I guess."

"Ah," managed Edgeworth as Phoenix started towards the door. "I had thought you were planning to stay for lunch."

Phoenix spun around and stared at him, wide-eyed.  
_He can't be serious, _he thought. _After what just happened, he's still talking about LUNCH? _

"Uh," managed Phoenix, "no thanks. Not today. Maybe another time."

Phoenix had his hand on the doorknob and was just about to beat a dejected, injured retreat into the hallway when he heard Edgeworth's chair scrape against the floor behind him.

"Wright," called Edgeworth. "please, wait."

He didn't shout, but there was something urgent and almost pained in his voice that made Phoenix turn around to face him again.

"I…I believe it is I who now owe you an apology," muttered Edgeworth.

Phoenix risked a bitter little laugh. "Oh, yeah? You mean, for basically accusing me of being a fraud and a suck-up, just now? Like I said, forget it. You're right – I should never have taken him on as a client in the first place."

Edgeworth hesitated.

"Well, yes," he said after a moment, "I do apologize for that, of course, but…that's not really what I was referring to. This past weekend, when you visited my apartment, it seems that I did you a disservice. I never meant to give you the impression that I don't trust you, or that I'm not comfortable with your behavior in the courtroom. That was never the reason for my doubts. I never meant to imply that your being a 'bad loser' was the reason that I…rejected you."

"What?" Phoenix gaped. "But…wait, you said-!"

"Yes," mumbled Edgeworth awkwardly, clearing his throat and not quite meting Phoenix's eyes. "Well, I seem to have communicated myself poorly. The accusations you made during that morning's trial, of my being a 'soulless automaton' had their desired effect. They wounded me deeply. Subsequently, I thought only of them when I attempted to explain why I could not reasonably accept your advances. Since then, I admit, I have…thought a great deal about that conversation."

_So have I, _thought Phoenix. _Uh, but I guess you figured that out already._

"As a matter of fact," Edgeworth was saying slowly, "I asked you here today in hopes that I might have a chance to explain myself a bit more carefully. I'm afraid it won't be a particularly pleasant conversation for either of us, but I'm unwilling to leave it as it now stands. Besides, I…I think I would like you to hear me out. It would be, honestly, something of a relief."

Phoenix frowned.

_I'm not sure I want to stay here and wait for him to reject me again, _he thought. _Actually, I've had enough of an emotional roller-coaster for one day. There's only so much that one poor guy can take._

"Well?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at Phoenix. "Will you stay and listen to what I have to say?"

The little note of uncharacteristic pleading in Edgeworth's voice was too much for Phoenix to bear.

_Oh boy, _he sighed. _I must be a glutton for punishment._

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm listening. Go ahead."

For just a fleeting moment, Edgeworth flashed Phoenix a sad but grateful little smile. Phoenix's heart immediately started beating a bit faster.

"Thank you," said Edgeworth, inclining his head politely. "In that case, I suppose I needn't tell you that I've been thinking a lot lately about the line drawn between prosecutor and defense attorney, and the differences in their roles. In a way, it all begins with my father…again."

Edgeworth gestured over his shoulder at the large portrait of Gregory Edgeworth, staring down imposingly at them from behind the desk.

"Oh, yeah," said Phoenix, gazing up at the picture for a moment. "I, uh, noticed that when we came in. It's quite a painting."

"I commissioned it earlier this year," replied Edgeworth, "to celebrate my thirty-fifth birthday. You may remember that my father, Gregory Edgeworth, was thirty five years old when he was murdered…the very same age that I am, now."

"Uh," said Phoenix blankly, at a complete loss, "yeah, right. Okay…."

"By the time he was thirty-five," Edgeworth went on quietly, "my father was already a famous defense attorney. At his age, I have, in fact, surpassed him in rank and status. I am not only a recognized prosecutor, but the Chief Prosecutor in this jurisdiction. There are those like the well-meaning Detective Gumshoe who say that my father, if he could see me now, would be proud."

Edgeworth's lip curled distastefully, and he shook his head.

"I'm afraid, however," he continued, "that the older I grow and the more I think on the matter, the more sure I become that it isn't the case. If my father could see me now…I'm afraid that he'd be disappointed. After all, he was a champion of the weak; a defender of those in need. He lived his life fueled by the idea that no innocent man should ever be permitted to go to prison for a crime that he did not commit, and he built his reputation around that same idea. He was a great man."

Phoenix just nodded. "I…well, of course he was," he said finally, when it was obvious that Edgeworth was waiting for a response. "He was a brilliant lawyer; everyone knows that. But, even if he was a great attorney, that doesn't mean that you-!"

"I," interrupted Edgeworth, "am nothing like him, I'm afraid."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Aw, hell, I'll just go ahead and write the second part tonight. I can't sleep anyway. Who am I kidding?


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Author's Note: **This chapter could just as easily be called "Chapter Twelve; Miles Edgeworth's really long, exceedingly angsty monologue about feelings."

This evening's angsty monologue brought to you by William Shakespeare's **Julius Caesar,** which Ari has been studying non-stop for weeks. The lead character in that play has an inordinate amount of angsty, thought-provoking monologues.

Now, Edgeworth has one, too.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**February 22, 2029**

**12:35 PM**

**The Chief Prosecutor's Office**

"Wait, hold it," insisted Phoenix. "Miles, that just isn't true. You've done some amazing things during your time as a prosecutor. You're just as great of a man as your father was."

Gently, Edgeworth shook his head.

"The comparison is a difficult one," he said. "After all, as I said before, my father and I are nothing alike. While he was a great defense attorney, I am a passable prosecutor. That in itself is a remarkable enough distinction."

Phoenix bit his lip and shook his head. "I disagree," he said simply.

"Do you?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that prosecution and defense are so similar? Surely you know the ins and outs of the law better than most, Wright. You're well aware that the role of a prosecutor and the role of an attorney are drastically different…and almost constantly in opposition."

"Right," retorted Phoenix, "but they're both important in their own way. Both the prosecution and the defense serve to uphold the law. Without either of them, the legal system and justice as we know it would fall apart."

Edgeworth nodded. "You're right," he agreed, "but I'm afraid it isn't that simple. A prosecutor's idea of justice is very different from an attorney's idea of justice."

"What?" Phoenix blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It took me a long time," said Edgeworth, "to realize it myself. When I was very young, I began studying to be a prosecutor in order, essentially, to pursue and condemn killers like the man who murdered my father. That was a kind of justice – a very ruthless and single-minded kind, but a kind of justice nonetheless. Sometime after that, not too long after I'd met you again, I determined that prosecution was about more than vengeance – it was pursuing the greater truth, and ensuring the protection of the innocent from the further machinations of the guilty. As a prosecutor, I was a protector of the law, and it was my duty to search for justice and truth around every corner. For the first time since my father's death, I felt…fulfilled. I was proud, Wright, and satisfied with the path I had chosen. I knew that I was going something worthwhile."

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah…yeah, I remember you saying something like that, before. I was happy for you, Miles. I was glad that you'd found your calling. You deserve it…and you worked hard to find it."

"Thank you," muttered Edgeworth. "However…I'm afraid my feelings on the subject altered, somewhat, after I returned from my time overseas some years ago. Ten years ago, in fact, I came back from handling a series of complicated overseas cases with Ms. Faraday, only to discover that a certain man whom I held in high esteem had been convicted of a crime that I was certain he had never committed. It was a case of forgery, and the man in question was a defense attorney who had apparently presented forged evidence in court. Although he claimed to have been unaware of the forgery at the time that the evidence came into his hands, it did not take long for the court to pronounce a guilty verdict against him, and he was immediately disbarred. He lost everything that he had worked so hard to gain, because of what I was sure was a simple mistake which led to a miscarriage of justice. I was determined to do everything within my power to help this man, no matter what it took. At that moment, perhaps more than at any other time in my career, I knew that I needed to act for justice's sake...and for his."

_Forgery, huh? And this guy got disbarred? _Phoenix bit his lip and sighed. _Oh, I get it, Miles. You're talking about me. That was my case, ten years ago. I…I didn't realize that it was that important to you. Where were you, back then? After I lost my badge, I didn't see you for weeks…or maybe even months. For a while, I thought you'd decided to agree with the rest of the world that I was a lousy, cheating attorney who'd even forge evidence to get his verdict. That was…well, it actually hurt like hell, thinking that you'd turned against me. Seems strange, now, that we've never talked about it before. _

Edgeworth paused and glanced ovecr his shoulder again at his father's portrait. When he turned back to Phoenix, there was something miserable and bitter in his eyes.

"But, you see," he went on through gritted teeth, "there was nothing I could do. No matter how hard I tried, as a prosecutor I had no power to prove this man innocent. He was defenseless, and I had no defense to provide. It was then that I realized…it was never my purpose to defend. That's not the mission of a prosecutor."

"Miles," began Phoenix hesitantly, but Edgeworth, lost in his own unhappy thoughts, didn't even seem aware of him.

"Unlike my father," Edgeworth continued, "I am not a defender of the weak. I am not a champion of the innocent. I have no power whatsoever to stand in between an innocent man and a wrongful sentence. As a prosecutor, it is my job to argue for the state, to convict the guilty and to keep them off of the streets. True, I have just as much of a hand in the discovery of the truth as any defense lawyer, but mine is a different kind of truth. Mine is, inevitably, a vindictive, condemning truth. I protect through the inevitable, dogged persecution of criminals. I do not and cannot save people, as I could not save this man. It was only then that I fully realized how powerless a prosecutor can be."

For a long moment, Edgeworth lapsed into silence, apparently lost in his own revelations.

"Hey, Miles," said Phoenix eventually. "You…you did save him, you know. In the end, you were the one that helped him get his badge back, remember?"

Edgeworth shrugged. "You did most of the work yourself, Wright. In the end, I only helped to push the paperwork through. It's a good thing that I did, because shortly after your conviction, the Dark Age of the Law took hold of our legal system, and we needed you."

"We needed you, too," countered Phoenix.

"Nonsense," snapped Edgeworth, suddenly looking Phoenix right in the eye. "For years, I watched the integrity of the law disintegrate. I watched innocent men found guilty, crimes pinned on them that they had never committed, and there was _nothing _that I could do. I was a puppet of the state, albeit a well-meaning one. I was, essentially, a guard dog, leashed to the law but unable to break my chain long enough to fight for what was important to me."

Phoenix just shook his head. "What about Simon Blackquill? You saved him. You were the one that orchestrated his special circumstances. Without your help, we'd never have gotten him off."

"I waited for years," retorted Edgeworth, "manipulating his sentence and pulling as many strings as I could, just waiting for the day when YOU, Wright, would be able to step in like the knight errant and procure him a "Not Guilty" sentence after all. On my own, I could have done nothing. I did nothing. I waited…and I held my breath. It was appallingly difficult to bear."

He fell silent again, and for a moment, Phoenix found himself listening to a murmured but incoherent conversation in the hallway outside the office door. Footsteps echoed and disappeared down the passage, and Phoenix realized that he was feeling a little bit sick.

_I don't remember the last time that I saw Edgeworth this genuinely miserable, _he realized. _Does he seriously believe what he's saying? How can that be? He knows he's not useless. Just the other day, I watched him save that poor attorney, Ms. Annette, from getting her client declared "Guilty." He's not some kind of monster or puppet to the state. It's nothing like that. Miles, snap out of it!_

"Thanks to your efforts," Edgeworth was saying, "we've now ended, hopefully for good, the Dark Age of the Law. The legal system has returned to its former glory, whatever that may mean, and everything makes some sense again. My experience during that Dark Age, however, has taught me a number of unpleasant but important lessons. I can no longer go through life blithely believing that I am some sort of justice-bound hero, destined, together with the best of defense attorneys, to find every mutually-beneficial hidden truth. I'm afraid that now, at long last, this particular truth is all too clear."

He sighed, and folded his hands on his desk, looking suddenly even more exhausted then he had before.

"I am a persecutor, an executioner, and a convictor," he said. "My sort of justice is real and more than a little important, but I am not, as my father was, a champion of the weak. I am not, and I never have been. It is not my place."

"M-Miles," began Phoenix. "You're not-!"

"You and I," Edgeworth interrupted, "are not the same, Wright. We work towards the same truth, but we have opposing goals. We are not allies, as I had once believed. Rather, we are and will always be adversaries; even enemies, if the circumstances dictate. When you looked at me with such disdain in the courtroom the other day, for a horrible moment I thought you'd finally realized that fact, as I have. It was exceedingly unpleasant, but also, I suppose, a necessary eventuality. No doubt, in the end, no matter how much you may wish to believe in me, the very fact of our roles in the courtroom will bring you to despise me. The idea that we could ever be lovers, under such circumstances, is depressingly preposterous."

Abruptly, Edgeworth stood up from his chair and crossed to the other side of the room, where he poured himself a cup of tea from a pitcher on a fancy mahogany stand.

"You can see, therefore," he finished, almost casually, "why I became…distressed when you implied that you felt we two could still be 'partners.' It must be obvious to you now, as it is to me, that we can never be anything more than grudgingly respectful colleagues."

That last comment struck home, and Phoenix winced.

_Not again, _he thought. _Miles, haven't you figured it out, yet? Your conflict isn' with me. It's you yourself that you have to convince. Sounds like actually, I'm not the problem here at all. _

"I am not ashamed of what I am, Wright," he said, "but I often wonder, these days, if my father would be."

With that, he took a long sip of his tea, frowned into the cup for a moment, and then turned back to look expectantly at Phoenix. Phoenix could see that the teacup in Edgeworth's hand was shaking, and that despite Edgeworth's cool demenaor, sweat was beginning to collect on his brow.

"Well?" He tapped idly on the edge of the cup with one long finger. "I'm afraid that was a bit of a long digression, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts, Wright."

Phoenix opened his mouth, but no sound came out. For a while, he couldn't find any words to say.

_Wow, _he thought, his mind still spinning as he tried to make sense of everything that Edgeworth had just said. _You…you actually believe all that, huh? Miles, I had no idea you were struggling with so much. No wonder you've been looking so tired, lately. I guess there's been a lot on your mind. I wish you could hear yourself, or that you could see yourself the way I see you. It's hard for me to listen to you talking about yourself this way. _

"Well, Wright?" Edgeworth drained the rest of his cup, set it down, and slowly returned to his desk. "I know it was something of a lengthy monologue, but surely you have some comment on the subject."

"Uh, y-yeah," agreed Phoenix, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I sure do. I, uh…I object to pretty much everything you just said. Actually, I think you're completely wrong."

Edgeworth's eyes widened in apparent surprise.

"I see," he said, sounding genuinely taken aback.

Phoenix just shook his head.

"No," he insisted. "I really don't think you do."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Yikes, that was a lot. This is the biggest plot-point in the story, so I wanted to make sure I took my time to get it right. Looks like this chapter actually has THREE parts, so I'll be posting the third part…sometime this week? Maybe tomorrow! Depends on if the weather closes the schools, or not.

Thank you for being so patient with me, and with Edgeworth's monologuing. We'll soon return to your regularly scheduled vaguely goofy, Ace Attorney program.

Now, however, it's REALLY time for bed. Good grief, what time is it?

This just in – it is now like, -2 degrees, here. I am going to be an icicle by morning. An Ari-cicle, rather.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Author's Note: **I officially have almost all of the story plotted ut. I've been noticing, as I've been writing, that some of the elements of this story are similar to those of **To Turnabout Eternally. **For one thing, the basic plot structure of the romance is the same (though the motivations, actions, and plot themselves are very different.) I guess that I am guilty of re-using some of my old ideas, but I find that that sort of thing happens a lot with writing. Even ideas and concepts are re-usable works in progress.

I hope that you'll bear with me and that this story will be a better, more polished, more practiced example of what I can do. Always strive to make the old new and improved.

Enough of my musings. You came here for a story, so here it is:

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**February 22, 2029**

**12:50 PM**

**The Chief Prosecutor's Office**

The atmosphere in the office had gone tense and extremely uncomfortable.

"E-explain yourself," demanded Edgeworth, looking for all the world as though he couldn't decide if he was annoyed or hesitantly hopeful.

"Yeah," sighed Phoenix, frowning to himself. "I'd like to, but honestly I'm not sure where to start. This is a problem I've never had before."

"What?" Edgeworth frowned. "What problem?"

"I have too much evidence," clarified Phoenix. "Your argument is full of so many contradictions that I'm actually having trouble figuring out how to make my case. I don't know what claims to make first. That's not typically how this works, so just give me a second."

As Edgeworth looked on in silence, Phoenix closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well," he said eventually, "I guess this clears up one mystery, anyway. I'd been wondering why we'd seen so little of each other in court over the last ten years. You prosecute plenty of cases, so it always seemed weird that you almost never ended up prosecuting mine. I get it now, though. You were avoiding me. Or, um, no, actually you were just avoiding have to face me in court."

Edgeworth just nodded. "Yes…I'm afraid so."

"Sheesh." Phoenix shot Edgeworth an annoyed look. "And you say that I'm the fool?"

"Wha-what," demanded Edgeworth "exactly do you mean by that?"

"Look," said Phoenix. "If I understand you correctly, then you've been brooding over this for almost ten years. Why? Why sit on this for so long? You've only made yourself miserable."

"I'm not in the habit," muttered Edgeworth defensively, "of discussing my private feelings with just anyone. It's never come up."

"Yeah, well, it should have come up with me," countered Phoenix. "I don't care what you say we really are, Miles. We've been friends since the fourth grade. You should have said something to me about this. Look at you; you're a mess, now. That's what happens when you decide to pretend nothing's wrong for years and years. These kind of doubts don't just go away on their own."

"Sometimes," murmured Edgeworth, "they turn into nightmares."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "Like years ago, when you'd first started to believe that you'd murdered your father. Don't you remember?"

Shivering a little with distaste, Edgeworth nodded quickly.

"Naturally," he said quietly. "I remember. I…would very much like to forget."

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix, softening a little at the pained look in Edgeworth's eyes. _I bet you would. Well…that's not important, right now. There's no reason to dredge up the past._

"Anyway," Phoenix went on, "all I'm saying is that I wish you would have talked to me."

For a moment, Edgeworth was thoughtfully silent.

"Perhaps," he said finally, musing aloud, more to himself, really, than to Phoenix. "Perhaps I was afraid. I was…terrified that you would agree with me."

Phoenix shook his head. "Well, I don't," he said. "Actually, I feel like you've let yourself get worked up over nothing."

Clearing his throat, Edgeworth shot Phoenix a look of injured pride.

"I appreciate how seriously you're taking my difficult confession," he mumbled sarcastically.

"I am taking it seriously," retorted Phoenix, "but it's seriously nonsense. Yeah, it's nonsense. That's the word you'd probably use, isn't it?"

While Edgeworth gawked at him, now clearly too confused to be successfully angry, Phoenix shook his head.

"I have an idea,' he said. "It's a little bit cheesy, but it'll do the trick, hopefully. Are you still up for having lunch with me?"

"L-lunch," mumbled Edgeworth. "How can you still be talking about lunch at a time like this? I have just poured out the remnants of my troubled soul, and you-!"

"Right," agreed Phoenix. "That's exactly why we have to have lunch…but not here. There's somewhere I want to take you. Do you have time for a short walk?"

Without waiting for an answer, Phoenix abandoned his chair and turned towards the door.

"Come on," he called over his shoulder.

Without a word, Edgeworth got up from his desk and followed.

They took the elevator together in silence down to the first floor. Edgeworth seemed distracted, almost too preoccupied with whatever was on his mind to remember how nervous elevators usually made him. It was only when the elevator jolted on its way to a stop that he suddenly clutched at the wall again, gazing with surprise at the doors as they opened out onto the first floor lobby.

As they were leaving the elevator, they ran into Detective Gumshoe who was just coming out of the now abandoned courtroom.

"Oh, hey, Mr. Edgeworth, Mr. Wright!" He grinned and nodded at them. "Fancy meeting you two, here. You guys going for lunch?"

"Yes," replied Phoenix. "it's a little late, I guess, but it's been kind of a long day. What are you up to, Detective?"

Gumshoe looked relieved.

"Actually," he said, "I was just looking for you, pal. Mr. Justice was wandering around the hallway until a few minutes ago. He was looking awfully suspicious, so I challenged him, and he said he was waiting for you. Said he had to get going, but that I should ask you to give him a call at the office whenever you get out of your meeting."

_Meeting? Oh, uh, yeah, _thought Phoenix. _I guess you could kind of call it a 'meeting.'_

"Thanks, Detective," he said aloud. "Did it seem important?"

Gumshoe shrugged. "How should I know? He's your understudy. Maybe there's a break in some case you guys are on, or something like that."

"Perhaps you should call him now," suggested Edgeworth. "I'm happy to wait."

Phoenix just shook his head. _Nah, _he decided. _It's probably nothing. We don't' have any clients right now anyway, so it can't be about a case. Apollo and Athena were probably just worried that Edgeworth was going to murder me, and so they wanted to make sure I'd made it out of the office alive. I wonder what would happen if Edgeworth did kill me in a fit of righteous rage. Would Athena and Apollo offer to defend him? Talk about an ethical dilemma…_

"I'll get in touch with him later," Phoenix assured Edgeworth. "Right now, we have to get going. It's almost one o'clock, so she'll probably be there. If we wait too much longer, we'll miss her."

"Her?" Edgeworth blinked. "Who is she?"

"You'll see," Phoenix told him. "Come on, let's go. We have a few blocks to cover."

As they left the courthouse and started down the streets of Los Angeles, Phoenix frowned thoughtfully at Edgeworth.

"You know," he said, "it's a good thing Detective Gumshoe didn't hear those things you were saying earlier, about being a prosecutor. I think you would have really hurt his feelings."

"The good Detective has far too many feelings," muttered Edgeworth."They are easily hurt, I'm afraid."

Phoenix grinned. "Yeah, maybe. But I know he feelings pretty strongly about you, Edgeworth. He gets very defensive when people speak badly of you, and he always has. I think if he'd heard you saying that you regretted becoming a prosecutor, he'd be upset."

"I never said I regretted it," countered Edgeworth. "I don't. I simply said-!"

"You said that you don't think you can help people as a prosecutor." Phoenix shrugged. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's not the same thing. But Gumshoe would definitely disagree with you. There's no doubt that you've helped him quite a bit over the course of both of your careers."

This time, Edgeworth didn't protest. He didn't say anything.

"When I first met him," Phoenix went on, "Gumshoe used to talk proudly about your 'healthy working relationship,' and about how everyone in the police department loved you because they knew they could always trust you to get a conviction. You made their jobs a lot easier."

Edgeworth snorted a derisive little laugh. "There have always been many people in the police department and in the prosecutor's office who have hardly 'loved' me. If you'll remember, Wright, I once faced accusations of fraud and forgery from that very same department."

Phoenix nodded. "I know. Gumshoe never accused you, though. He never believed for a second that you'd fabricate evidence. He trusts you….and he trusts you because of what you've done for him as a prosecutor."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Let's be honest with ourselves," said Phoenix, shooting a quick look over his shoulder to make sure that Gumshoe hadn't, for whatever reason, follows them out of the courthouse. "Gumshoe's a great guy, with a big heart and a strong sense of loyalty. Uh, he really isn't the greatest detective, though."

Edgeworth scowled. "No argument, I'm afraid."

Phoenix shrugged. "I genuinely like the guy, but his investigations are full of holes, he tends to give key evidence away and he's incredibly forgetful. If it were up to him, the state would probably lose more cases than it wins."

"Unfortunately," agreed Edgeworth.

"But," said Phoenix, raising one admonitory finger and pointing it at Edgeworth, "it isn't up to him. Gumshoe thinks you're a hero, because you trust him enough to take his pretty embarrassing investigatory work and always turn it, somehow, into a convincing case for the prosecution. You make him look good, you make him feel like his work is valuable, and you've probably saved his career hundreds of times by filling in the gaps in his investigations with your conjectures in the courtroom. Your skill as a prosecutor has actually improved his life, and he knows it."

Phoenix stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the signal to turn. Standing behind him, Edgeworth was silent for several long seconds.

"I admit that you have a point, there," he said eventually. "However, I'm afraid that point hardly supports your argument. Detective Gumshoe's is a special case. The fact that I am able to cover for his incompetence does not, in itself, really vindicate me as a prosecutor."

"Maybe not," agreed Phoenix, "but it proves that you're a good man, and maybe a better friend than you think you are."

"I…highly doubt that," mumbled Edgeworth, sounding embarrassed.

Phoenix shrugged. Then the signal changed, and they both crossed the street, where Phoenix stopped and turned to face a little shop on the corner.

"Well, either way," he said, "this is it. Ever been here before?"

The exterior of the shop was painted an almost uncomfortably bright shade of red, and there was a neon sign in the window that when lit probably looked like a steaming coffee cup.

"This…is hideous," mumbled Edgeworth, looking startled. "What a garish place. It's amazing that I've never noticed it before."

Phoenix laughed. "Uh, well, I think it's red for a reason," he explained. "Plus, the owner's blind, so decoration isn't really his strong suite."

Over the door hung a wooden sign that read, in small, scripted black letters, "Blend 107."

"Blend 107 is, without a doubt, the best coffee shop in the city," Phoenix informed Edgeworth. "Actually, it might be the best coffee shop in the world. You've done more traveling than I have, so after you've tasted the coffee this guy makes, you can tell me."

When they opened the shop door, a selection of spoons that were hanging just over the door started clinking and clacking together.

The only customer, seated at a tall table in the far corner, looked up when she heard the spoons.

"Oh, Nick! And Mr. Edgeworth, too!" Maya grinned at them, hopped down from her stool and hurried over. "I was just going to come and see you! How did the trial go?"

"Hey, Maya," said Phoenix. "I'm glad we caught you. Um, I lost the trial. Edgeworth won."

Maya opened her mouth, closed it again, shot a shrewd little look at Edgeworth, and then sighed dramatically.

"Oh, no," she said. "What a shame. I'm so sorry! You can't win them all, though…right, Nick?"

Edgeworth cleared his throat and glared at her.

"Uh, it's okay, Maya," Phoenix explained. "Edgeworth knows."

"Eek." Maya's eyes widened." He…he knows? Uh oh…"

She gave Edgeworth a worried look and took a hurried step away from him.

"Nick told you this was my idea, didn't he?" She shook her head emphatically. "Um, well, that doesn't seem fair, does it? After all, I'm not a lawyer. I don't know anything about how the legal system works. How was I supposed to know it wasn't ethical? Right?"

Phoenix just rolled his eyes. "No one's going to believe that, Maya. Your sister was one of the greatest defense attorneys I've ever known, and you worked as my assistant for years. You knew exactly what you were suggesting…but I'm the one that did it. I'm the guilty one, and Edgeworth knows it."

"Um." Maya didn't look too happy about that. "W-wait, that doesn't seem fair either. I mean, after all, it WAS my idea."

"Forget it," said Phoenix. "It doesn't matter. We've already been over all of that. We're here now because Edgeworth has something to tell you."

Edgeworth blinked. "I…do?"

"Yeah," said Phoenix. "You do. Maya, Edgeworth wants to tell you that he's decided prosecutors can't help people. He thinks that as a prosecutor, he hasn't been able to save any lives or defend anybody."

"Wh-what?" Edgeworth glared at Phoenix. "Wright, that…that was privileged information, part of a private conversation conducted in my office between two colleagues. You have absolutely no business sharing that information without my permission!"

Phoenix just ignored him. "Well, Maya? What do you think about that?"

Maya's jaw had fallen open, and she was now staring at Edgeworth with a wide,shocked look in her eyes.

"M-Mr. Edgeworth," she stammered, "you can't be serious."

"Oh, he's serious all right," said Phoenix, shrugging. "I mean, this is Edgeworth we're talking about. He's always serious."

B-but," mumbled Maya, shaking her head. Then, suddenly, she was angry, clenching both fists at her sides and biting down hard on her quivering lip.

"Mr. Edgeworth," she demanded furiously, "how can you be so STUPID?"

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Ah, so when I said this scene had three parts, I clearly actually meant FOUR parts. Maybe five. Sorry, this section is super long…but it'll pay off at the end, I promise. I think.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Author's Note: **Snowing again. Stuck at home, but so is Dag. That's nice, because usually we barely see each other – he works two jobs, so he's out 7 days a week, and I work 3 or 4, depending, so same problem. Just having some time to sit in the same room and watch a movie together is really rare and lovely.

At the moment, though, he's downstairs cooking something that actually smells really good. I'm useless in the kitchen, so while he's busy I'll write another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**February 22**

**1:20 PM**

**Blend 107**

_Maya, _thought Phoenix, _is actually really scary when she's angry. It doesn't happen that often, so when it doe_s, _it always sort of throws you off. I had a feeling she'd have strong feelings about this._

"Mr. Edgeworth," demanded Maya, "how can you say that you're useless? That's just…that's insane! It's crazy, isn't it, Nick?"

Phoenix nodded encouragingly. "Yeah, definitely."

"See?" Maya planted both her hands on her hips and glared at Edgeworth. "Nick thinks you're being stupid, too! You've saved lots of people! You ended the Dark Age of the Law! That would never happened without you!"

Edgeworth, still slowly backing away, cleared his throat.

"You seem to forget, Maya," he reminded her," that I am also the individual who once tried very hard to get you accused of a murder that I was frankly well aware you didn't commit."

"Huh?" Maya blinked. "Oh, you're talking about my sister's case, right? Well…that as then, and this is now." She waved that away with a dismissive hand. "Anyway, YOU'RE the one who's forgetting stuff! What about when I was kidnapped by Shelly de Killer, huh? What about that? I would been KILLED if it wasn't for you! By De Killer!"

"You're the one who's always bringing up the Engarde case," Phoenix remarked, leaning against the wall and crossing both arms triumphantly over his chest. "Seems strange that you'd forget about it so easily."

"I haven't forgotten," snapped Edgeworth. "I'm simply well aware that it was you, Wright, who orchestrated Maya's freedom in that case. I was simply-!"

"You were a team," interrupted Maya. "What would have happened if you'd just let Nick win that case? Engarde would probably just have gone and killed somebody else! If you hadn't been there to help, Nick would have won, and that would have been terrible. He needed you, and…and I needed you. You both saved me. I'll never forget what you did."

Unexpectedly, Mayas eyes began to fill with tears.

"Hey, Maya," began Phoenix, realizing he may have pushed this one just a little too far. "Um-!"

"I'm fine," mumbled Maya, wiping the back of her hand angrily across her face to dash away the tears. "I'm just…look, it was really scary, okay? It was probably the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. I still have nightmares about it, sometimes."

"Nightmares," murmured Edgeworth.

"Yeah," agreed Maya. "Nightmares. You would too if you'd been kidnapped by a psycho killer! I just…I can't believe you'd act like it was no big deal. It was a big deal to me."

For a moment, Edgeworth didn't seem to know what to say.

"I…I'm terribly sorry," he muttered eventually, making a move as though he was going to reach out to Maya, and then just as quickly stifling it. "I didn't mean to distress you."

Maya took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, pursed her lips for a moment, and then suddenly opened her eyes again and smiled, shaking her head.

"No, forget it," she said brightly, almost as though she'd never lost her temper in the first place. "I…I understand. I guess it could never have been as important to you as it was to me, but…Mr. Edgeworth, you're wrong about being useless. You're not ever allowed to say that stuff again, got it?"

"I…" Edgeworth was clearly taken aback.

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix proudly. _You're right, Miles. She is an impressive person. Actually, there are a lot of dark things in Maya's heart…but she deals with them a lot better than you do. You could learn a lot from Maya. I don't tell her that often enough. Maybe I should._

Edgeworth looked as though he wanted to say something, but before he had the chance, someone emerged from the back of the shop, glanced over at Phoenix and Edgeworth, and then strolled lazily over to the counter.

"Hah," he said. "I thought I heard somebody hanging around out here. Don't typically have a lot of customers at this hour. Usually it's just me and this Little Kitten."

"Y-you," exclaimed Edgeworth.

The man at the counter was older, maybe a bit over forty, with a big shock of charcoal-black hair. He was wearing a striped vest over his bright red shirt, but the most striking thing about him was the deep scar on his face, set between his dead, sightless brown eyes.

"Me, huh?" The blind man frowned at Edgeworth. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Diego," said Phoenix, "you remember Miles Edgeworth, right?"

"Oh," said Diego Armando, turning to face Phoenix. "So, it's you, Trite."

Maya glared at Armando. "Hey, don't call him that!"

"Hah." Armando grinned. "Sorry, Little Kitten. Just a slip of the tongue. I meant…Wright, of course."

"He's just showing off," sighed Maya, shaking her head. "Just ignore him, Nick."

_Forget it, Maya, _thought Phoenix. _I'm used to it. Somewhere deep down, I guess he's still bitter about what happened wit_h _Mia. The fact that he now owes me his life, after I helped him plead guilty to Justifiable Homicide probably doesn't help. If calling me some stupid name makes him feel better, I can deal with it. _

"Miles Edgeworth," Armando was saying. "Yeah…yeah, I guess I remember the name. You're that defense attorney, right?"

Edgeworth coughed. "I'm a prosecutor," he clarified.

Armando just shrugged.

"Same difference," he said. "So, gentlemen? What can I get you, today? You want the usual, Wright?"

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "We'll both have the same thing, actually."

"Two of the best, coming right up." Turning away, Armando began rummaging in one of the cabinets. "Go have a seat. I'll have the Little Kitten bring out your orders in a few minutes."

"Huh?" Maya blinked. "Wait, I don't work here. Why do I have to do it?"

Armando pulled a face at her.

"Because," he said, "Poor old Diego's not getting any younger. Getting old is like trying to read your fortune in a cup of black coffee. The longer you stare into the abyss, the murkier everything gets."

"I don't even know what that means," protested Maya.

" Besides," Armando went on, more matter-of-factly, "there are too many tables in here. I might trip over something. Be a good girl and help a blind guy out. You might as well do something to pay me back for the free coffee you get every day."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You're not old, she said, "and you won't trip. You know how to get around just fine. Sheesh…"

Grumbling and mumbling to herself, she went around behind the counter to get the coffee, while Armando grinned at her.

"They seem…close," remarked Edgeworth.

"Uh, yeah," mumbled Phoenix, wincing. "Let's…let's not talk about that, actually. Please?"

"Very well." Edgeworth shot a quick look over at where Armando and Maya were now hunched over the coffee together. "I confess, I'm surprised, Wright. I hadn't expected to see that man ever again. Indeed, I almost didn't recognize him when he came in. He's changed."

"I'm dying my hair, now," said Armando without looking up. "it was Maya's idea. She said it'd make me look younger. I guess it's working. Maybe I should give her more credit."

Edgeworth nodded. "That's right. The last time I saw you, you cut quite a ghastly figure. You had white hair, then, and you wore a very distinctive visor over your face. At the time, I believe you went by the rather fanciful name of 'Godot.'"

"Hah," snorted Armando. "That man? The man you're talking about has been dead for ten years. My name's Armando."

"Indeed...so I see," murmured Edgeworth.

After a few minutes, Maya grudgingly brought over two steaming cups of coffee, which smelled delicious.

"Mm," murmured Phoenix, taking a sip of his coffee and sighing happily to himself. "Honestly, I've never been much of a coffee drinker, but I've been addicted to this stuff ever since my first cup. I stop in most mornings before work. It really wakes me up."

Behind the counter, Armando smiled to himself.

"Well, Wright?" Edgeworth frowned as he sipped his coffee. "I assume that you didn't bring me here simply to sample some admittedly excellent coffee. Is this Armando another person who I'm supposed to have 'saved?'"

"Huh?" Armando looked over in surprise. "Who saved who, exactly?"

_Jeez, Miles, _thought Phoenix. _I'm going to an awful lot of trouble just to prove that you're a decent guy. You don't have to be so sarcastic about it._

"Uh, no," he said aloud. "Not that I know of, anyway. It's just, Diego here is the only other person I know, besides you, who's ever been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. I thought it might be worth talking to him about it."

Edgeworth sighed. "I suppose I don't have to tell you that I have no desire whatsoever to talk to this comparative stranger about my personal concerns," he said resignedly. "I can see that you are going to force me to do it anyway."

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix. _Pretty much._

"Hey, Diego," called Phoenix. "Um, Edgeworth and I are having an argument about something. We were wondering if you could maybe settle it for us."

"Who knows?" Armando shrugged. "You're both big-shot lawyers. Aren't you supposed to be able to handle arguments on your own?"

"Well, this is a different sort of argument," said Phoenix. "What we're trying to decide is; who is more important to the justice system? The prosecutor, or the defense attorney?"

Armando stopped what he was doing, frowned, and raised an eyebrow.

"What is this," he asked, "some kind of joke?"

"No joke," insisted Phoenix. "It's a serious question."

Armando snorted a derisive little laugh. "Well, I don't have a serious answer," he said. "It's a stupid question, and you know it, Wright. Didn't Mia teach you anything? Would have thought you'd know by now that you can't have one without the other. Trying to have a trial without a defense attorney would be like pouring yourself a cup of coffee but forgetting to add the damn beans. Same goes for the prosecutor. Justice doesn't happen if you don't have someone to argue on both sides."

"Yeah, I'll agree with you there," said Phoenix, nodding." But, would you say that the prosecutor and the defense attorney are enemies?"

Again, Armando gave Phoenix a disgusted look.

"Hey, Kitten," he asked Maya, "is this guy for real? Did he even go to law school?"

"Just answer the question," returned Maya. "Please, Mr. Armando? Nick wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Armando sighed. "Fine" he muttered. "Listen; there are two sides of every argument, right? Well, except, maybe, for this one. On one side, you have some guy claiming that he didn't do it. On the other side, you have the guy saying that the first guy is lying. How are you gonna figure out who's telling the truth? It's one on one, more or less. The first guy isn't going to admit that he's wrong, neither is the second guy. The only way to figure out what's really happening is to drag all the facts out of the darkness and into the light, and to figure out what those murky facts really mean."

"Right," agreed Phoenix. "Sounds good, right, Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth's face had turned red. "I do not need this lecture on the basics of the law," he muttered miserably. "I'm aware of all this."

"The defense," Armando went on, sounding bored, "has to make every fact sound like it supports the defendant's innocence. The prosecution has to turn those same facts around until they make the defendant look guilty. While the two lawyers are duking it out, the judge has a chance to look at every fact from two angles. He gets to see all the sides of the argument, and that's when the magic justice happens. The truths are all exposed, and theoretically, the right guy goes to prison and everybody else gets a fairytale ending."

"Aw," interjected Maya. "I like that idea…a fairytale ending!"

"Anyway," Armando finished, "I guess that means the answer to your question is no, of course the defense and the prosecution aren't enemies. They can't be; they're brewed from the same beans. A prosecutor and a defense attorney are exactly the same thing, just operating from different sides of the argument. They could switch places at any time, and it wouldn't matter, so long as we get to see all the facts from every point of view. You've switched sides before, Edgeworth. So have I. You should know, then, that there's no difference, no matter what part of the courtroom you're standing in."

He fell silent, and Phoenix turned expectantly to Edgeworth, who was staring at the tabletop with his brow furrowed, shaking his head.

"Well? Are we done, now?" Armando waved a dismissive hand at them. "Your coffee's gonna get cold, and I don't do free refills."

"We could just stick both cups in the microwave," suggested Maya.

Armando stared at her. "D-don't' even think about it," he muttered. "That's not how that works; it'll destroy the flavor. You're gonna give me a heart attack one day."

"With all due respect, Mr. Armando," murmured Edgeworth abruptly, "I believe that I disagree with you on one point.

"Oh, yeah?" Armando instantly snapped his attention back to Edgeworth and Phoenix. "Which one's that?"

_He's not fooling anybody, _thought Phoenix, grinning to himself. _Armando's an attorney…or maybe a prosecutor. Either way, he's a lawyer at heart. He's enjoying this argument a lot more than he wants us to believe._

Edgeworth politely cleared his throat.

"You claim," he said, "that there is no difference whatsoever between a defense attorney and a prosecutor. However, there is one significant difference that you seem to have overlooked, inherent in the very titles of these two positions. While it is a prosecutor's job to persecute a defendant, it is the defense attorney's job to defend that same defendant. A prosecutor cannot save a man's life; he can only condemn. A defense attorney cannot condemn, it is his responsibility to save. I would argue that that is a rather significant difference."

"It's not a difference at all," retorted Armando, shaking his head. "Just look at Trite, here. He's a perfect example. How many times has he condemned a witness and gotten that same witness convicted of the crime, even though he's technically just the defense attorney? Yeah, okay, so it's not actually his job, per se, to accuse anybody…but that doesn't seem to stop him from doing it when justice calls."

"Hey." Phoenix frowned. "Wait, I'm JUST the defense attorney?"

"I'll give you another one," Armando went on, clearly on a roll now, leaning on the counter and pointing a characteristically accusing prosecutor's finger at Edgeworth's chest. "I prosecuted a murder that I committed."

"Whoa," interjected Maya. "It wasn't murder! It was justifiable homicide, remember? Nick proved that years ago!"

"Pipe down, Kitten," suggested Armando. "I killed someone. Murder or homicide, doesn't matter. What matters is that I managed to protect myself from being accused, even though I was the prosecutor in the case."

"Your conduct, in this case, was extremely dubious," muttered Edgeworth.

Armando rolled his eyes. "Oh, really? Thanks for telling me. I'm so glad we got that cleared up. If you hadn't said something, I'd never have guessed."

_Ouch, _thought Phoenix, wincing. _Was that really necessary? _

"The point is," Armando, went on, " as the prosecutor, you can present the facts any way you want. If you want to accuse someone, make it look like they're guilty. if you want to protect someone, make it look like SOMEONE ELSE is guitly. You can do that just as easily from one side of the courtroom as from the other. We've both experienced it first hand, so I'd have thought it was already obvious enough."

Edgeworth opened his mouth to protest, then paused, closed it again, and just shook his head.

"I…I really don't-!" he began.

Armando cut him off. "Case closed," he announced. "Court's adjourned, gentlemen. Drink your coffee…it'll make you feel better. Actually, I'm thinking of pouring a cup for myself. All this is giving me a headache, and caffeine is the only worthwhile cure I know."

Armando poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat across the table from Maya and drank it. The two of them chatted in hushed voices, while Phoenix watched Edgeworth, who was now staring very hard into his own cup, lost in his own, perhaps dark and murky thoughts.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

So, here we have even more long winded arguments about legal ethics. Actually, I think we're done with that for a while, so you can all take a deep breath and relax, now. Soon we'll be able to have som**e **fast-moving plot, again.

I have a confession to make:

The idea of Armando owning a café was suggested to me a long time ago by someone else. For the life of me, I cannot remember who this person is. I would REALLY like to give credit to this person for his or her idea.

Please, if you are the person with whom I originally chatted about this idea, contact me ASAP, and I will edit this chapter to include an appropriate artistic credit, mentioning you as the originator of this idea.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Author's Note: **Ugh, there were a lot of typos in that last chapter, and I just realized it. Sorry, guys. I will do my best to go back and correct them. Poor Ari's eyes aren't so good. If I was patient enough to wait for a beta, I'd have a lot fewer typos, but then we couldn't have daily updates.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

**February 22, 2029**

**2:00 PM**

**Outside the Courthouse**

After finishing their coffee, Phoenix and Edgeworth said goodbye to Maya and started back towards the district courthouse. They spent most of the walk in silence, Edgeworth clearly still too lost in his own inscrutable reverie for Phoenix to make any attempt at pleasant conversation.

They stopped when they reached the courthouse steps, and Phoenix turned back to look at Edgeworth.

"I should be getting back to the office," he said. "Apollo and Athena are probably worried about me. I didn't call, so they might assume that you've murdered me, by now."

"I haven't yet decided that I won't," returned Edgeworth, raising an eyebrow.

Phoenix just laughed. "You can't kill me. I'm either your evil nemesis, or your partner in fighting crime. One of those two things. We're a team, you and I, 'for great justice,' as Maya would say."

He grinned hopefully, but Edgeworth didn't return the smile.

"I'd like to believe that," said Edgeworth quietly. "I'd like to think that we are…partners, of a kind."

Phoenix did his best not to let himself get frustrated.

"I thought I made a pretty good case, today," he said, still smiling a little desperately. "Three witnesses, and a compelling argument. I was hoping you'd realize that we've always been a team. Even when we've been arguing on opposite sides, we've been working together. It's what prosecutors and defense attorneys do. It's what we do. Everyone else seems to be able to see it."

"Perhaps," agreed Edgeworth hesitantly, "but…there's no reason to believe that state of affairs will continue. There will always be another case, and someday, we will inevitably find a case that will place us at irreconcilable odds. We'd be foolish to blithely assume that such a thing could never happen, simply because we've been lucky enough to come to terms in the past."

Phoenix shrugged. "Honestly, Miles, I'm willing to risk it. We can cross that bridge when we get to it."

Edgeworth shook his head.

"Some bridges burn,' he reminded Phoenix.

Phoenix laughed. "Yeah, well, I have some experience with burning bridges. If it happens, it happens. We'll live through it. I did."

For a long moment, Edgeworth didn't respond.

"I have no desire to live through such a thing," he said eventually, swallowing hard.

Phoenix sighed, and rubbed at his temples, starting to feel tired after a long, emotional day.

"Miles," he said, "honestly, I can't make you any promises that we won't regret this. That'd be stupid, and we both know it. Still, I wish you could try to trust me."

Edgeworth looked surprised. "I do trust you," he said quickly."I thought we had already established that my concerns have nothing to do with any doubts about your conduct or integrity."

"You did say that, yeah," agreed Phoenix, "but I don't think it's entirely true. You're worried that I'm going to lash out and hurt you, but you don't have to be. I know who my friends are, and I know who my enemies are. No matter what argument you're making, I've always felt like I was on your side. I'd fight for you whether you wanted me to or not, just like I did during the Hammond murder. I'd do it again today."

"Wright," began Edgeworth, but Phoenix wasn't finished.

"I guess," Phoenix mused, rubbing thoughtfully at the back of his neck, "it all comes down to this; clients come and go, but I'd like you to stay. You're always going to be more important to me than the clients are, so no matter how many times we might have to fight it out in court, it won't matter. I care more about you than I do about the case. That might be 'unethical,' but it's the truth."

"I..." Edgeworth didn't seem to know how to respond to that. "Yes, it...it certainly isn't ethical, or even remotely professional."

"Oh, well." Phoenix shrugged. "So, sue me, I guess."

Apparently speechless, Edgeworth just stood and stared, until Phoenix began to get really uncomfortable.

"H-hey," demanded Phoenix eventually, laughing awkwardly. "I'm still waiting for the verdict, Miles. Don't leave me hanging forever. You're making me nervous. Not sure I can take much more of this. If you're going to let me down, then do it already before I pass out. All this pleading is bad for my heart, probably. I'm starting to feel faint, again."

It was only then that Phoenix realized he and Edgeworth were standing very close to one another, and that sometime during his little monologue, either he or Edgeworth had closed most of the gap between them.

"Uh," stammered Phoenix, his heart now pounding like a spastic bass drum in his chest, "I…this may sound crazy, but I really want to kiss you."

"Nngh." Edgeworth's eyes widened. "Wh-what?"

"Can I?" Phoenix hazarded a smile. "Please? We can, uh, say it's part of the investigation we've been doing today into the prosecutor/attorney relationship. It's, um, in the name of…science, or something. Evidence, maybe. Agh, now I just sound like an idiot. Um, look, I-!"

"Yes," said Edgeworth abruptly.

"What?" Phoenix blinked.

"You…may kiss me," mumbled Edgeworth, his voice barely audible as he dropped his eyes away from Phoenix's. "That is...if you wish."

"Oh…uh, really?" Phoenix could feel the awkward, nervous school-boy smile starting on his face again, spreading from ear to ear. "G-great! Okay, then,, um…"

They stood together, staring wide-eyed at each other for a moment, and then slowly, very carefully, Phoenix reached out, rested his hands on Edgeworth's shoulders, moved in and kissed him on the mouth.

It was not the world's best, most romantic kiss. Phoenix was so nervous that he could feel his hands shaking, and Edgeworth was uncomfortably stiff and rigid, at first, as though he might change his mind and reject the contact at any moment.

_Yikes, _thought Phoenix. _I feel like a twelve-year-old at the high school dance. This isn't the first time I've kissed someone…you'd think I'd be a little better at it by now. He's probably hating this. _

It was only after a couple of incredibly awkward, interminable seconds that Phoenix realized just how warm Edgeworth's lips were, and that warmth spread down through Phoenix, rushing into his core and heating his entire body. Emboldened by that rush, Phoenix leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Edgeworth's back, pulling him closer. Edgeworth made a startled little sound in his throat, but at the same time he began responding to the kiss, relaxing a bit and closing his eyes, his hands suddenly tightening around phoenix's arms.

It was over almost before it began, but when Phoenix stepped back, he realized that both of their hearts were now beating in frantic but perfect time, and that Edgeworth's cheeks looked just as flushed as his felt.

"Uh," Phoenix whispered, panic setting in as he realized that he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say. "W-wow. That was… um."

Then, slowly, Phoenix could feel himself starting to grin like a drunken idiot again, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Wright," murmured Edgeworth.

"Y-yeah?" Phoenix coughed and cleared his throat, trying to regain some of his poise, but it was no use. "What is it? Was, that, uh, okay?"

"Wright," repeated Edgeworth, and suddenly Phoenix realized for the first time that he really liked the way Edgeworth said his name.

_He's got a nice voice, _thought Phoenix dreamily. _Low, deep, masculine…but soft-spoken, not aggressive. I like the way he pronounces his Ts. Wait, is that weird? That's…kind of a weird thing to like, isn't it?_

He felt giddy, and now he was light-headed for a totally different reason.

"Wright," said Edgeworth for a third time, a little more firmly. "Are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Yeah," insisted Phoenix vaguely. "Sure, I'm listening."

"This is a public place," continued Edgeworth, clearing his throat uncomfortably and not even trying to look Phoenix in the face. "We…really cannot engage in this kind of behavior in the middle of the street, like this. People will stare."

"Wha-?" Suddenly, Phoenix snapped back to reality, and realized that they were still standing on the courthouse steps in the middle of the square.

"Right," he said, embarrassed. "People could see us, sure. That would be…bad, right?"

"Yes," agreed Edgeworth. "It would be unfortunate."

"Oh." Phoenix nodded, but couldn't quite bring himself to move.

There was another long, uncertain silence between them.

"So," he managed finally, "I, should, uh, get back to the office, I guess."

"Mr. Justice and Ms. Cykes will be waiting for you," said Edgeworth.

"Right." Phoenix sighed, took a deep breath and then cast one last, hopeful look at Edgeworth.

Edgeworth, however, said nothing. He was still bright red and wide-eyed, clearly struggling to get ahold of himself.

"So," hazarded Phoenix. "I'll, uh, be at the courthouse tomorrow. There's a trial…I think."

"I…see," murmured Edgeworth. "Er, in that case, perhaps we might…run into each other."

"Yeah!" Phoenix nodded eagerly. "Let's definitely do that. Let's run into each other. That'd be great!"

He was still grinning like a fool, but he didn't care anymore. Edgeworth looked as though there was something else that he wanted to say, but he never quite managed to get the words out.

"I…need to get back to work," he muttered eventually. "Good afternoon, Wright. I'll probably see you soon."

Phoenix just nodded, lingered for a moment, then sighed, shook his head, and turned back to the street.

"Uh, yeah. See you soon," he called over his shoulder as he started down the sidewalk towards the office, his head still reeling and his heart still doing somersaults in his chest.

"Er, Wright," called Edgeworth suddenly.

Phoenix instantly spun around to face him again." Yes? What?"

Unexpectedly, Edgeworth smiled.

It was a small, tense half-smile, really, but as soon as he saw it, Phoenix started to feel that same uncontrollably amazing warmth spreading through his chest again.

"Thank you for today," said Edgeworth quietly. "I…appreciate you taking the time."

"N-no problem," Phoenix assured him quickly. "Anything for you, Miles."

"Hmph," murmured Edgeworth thoughtfully to Phoenix's retreating back. "I…I honestly believe that you mean that."

Phoenix grinned to himself all the way back to the office, and as he half-strolled, half-skipped down the street, he really didn't care who saw.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Sorry that this chapter is a little short, but this seems like a fitting place to end the episode.

This was really a fun bit to write. I'm feeling pretty good about this story at the moment. How are you feeling about it?


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Author's Note: **I…really want to be writing right now, but I really need to be working on my lines. Maybe if I write this really fast, I can get back to work before 10:00 and no one will notice that I'm not off book for scene III.2.

*sigh* I used to be a terrifically responsible human being, I really did.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

**February 23, 2029**

**11:30 AM**

**The Chief Prosecutor's Office**

It was almost noon, the day after the Creacher trial, and Edgeworth had been sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the office wall for at least two hours. There was a mountain of paperwork and reports on his desk which he'd been effectively ignoring ever since he'd come in that morning. He'd only managed to read the first sentence of the top document a few hundred times, and he still had no idea what it said.

_Gah, _he thought, frustrated and gripping at his hair with both hands as though he might tear it all out at any second. _I…can't…concentrate! It's no use. I'm not getting any work done today. All I can think about is Wright. Perhaps it's finally happening. After all these years, I might finally be losing my mind. I must admit, it's almost a relief. I've always known this day would come._

Every few minutes his mind would wander off and he'd find himself daydreaming about the afternoon before, out on the steps of the courthouse, where Phoenix had held him for a few incredibly confusing moments, kissing him soundly and then standing there grinning like a lovestruck schoolboy while Edgeworth had tried to get his breath back and to figure out which way was up.

_You're always going to be more important to me than the clients are, _he could still hear Phoenix say. _Clients come and go, but I'd like you to stay. _

Edgeworth understood just how significant that comment was, especially coming from Phoenix Wright. Phoenix was famous, even notorious in the district for being the sort of lawyer who got as deeply immersed in his work as he could. He was a passionate man who attached himself to causes and devoted himself, whole-heartedly and with full force to every client he defended and to every trial at which he argued.

_And to this man, _thought Edgeworth incredulously, _to this deeply impassioned, overzealous legal devotee, I am that important. Important enough that he refuses to see or accept the myriad reasons why it's not only unethical but also highly unwise for him to have feelings for me. _

This was more than Edgeworth had ever dared to hope for, and he was still having a difficult time wrapping his mind around the reality of Phoenix's affections.

_After over twenty miserable years of doing everything in my power to destroy these desperate, unwelcome feelings, _he thought, _this is strange. It feels…entirely too strange to be real. _

Glancing down again at the paper on top of the stack, he read halfway through the first sentence, sighed, shook his head, and then gave up entirely on paperwork.

_This is worthless, _he decided resignedly, _and at the moment, so am I. Perhaps a change of scenery will clear my head. There's a trial taking place downstairs, I believe. Maybe I should go see how it's proceeding._

Even as Edgeworth left the office and headed for the stairwell, he was uncomfortably aware of his own ulterior motives.

_Wright said that he would be at the trial today, _he reminded himself. _I can't deny that I'd like to see him, but if I were to run into him, I have no idea what I'd say. _

Edgeworth strolled down the stairs, and then made his way over to Courtroom No. 7, where the trial was taking place.

_I've been too distracted lately to pay much attention, _he thought guiltily, _but I believe that the defendant in this case is a woman named Billows…and she has been accused of some sort of theft. No, surely, I can do better than that. It was a furniture store robbery, wasn't it? That sounds…complicated. Furniture is large and bulky, and typically difficult to move. It must have been quite a feat. _

As quietly as he could, Edgeworth pulled open one of the courtroom doors and stepped inside. The gallery was almost full, and Edgeworth went easily and quietly unnoticed behind the throngs of people watching the trial.

_I don't recognize that attorney, _he thought. _He must be new. Winston Payne is prosecuting this trial. He's a slimy old fool, but he's been doing this for years. He's far more familiar with trial procedure than this young attorney. This might go badly for the rookie. _

The young defense attorney, probably no more than twenty-two or twenty-three, was starting to look pretty miserable.

"Objection!" Payne got to his feet and jabbed a finger at the defense attorney. "Ah hah, I've got you now. That isn't possible! There's just no way that she left the shoe there on purpose for him to find! If that was the case, then why not leave her fingerprints? I believe this court has already successfully established that the fingerprints on the shoelaces were wiped, Your Honor!"

_I have absolutely no idea what is going on here, _thought Edgeworth. _I really must read that case report as soon as I return to the office. _

He ran his eyes over the crowd, and noticed that Apollo Justice was there, sitting with Klavier Gavin. They were arguing heatedly about something in hushed voices, and while Gavin looked about as smug and unconcerned as usual, Apollo just looked irritated.

_A prosecutor and a defense attorney should probably never watch a trial together, _thought Edgeworth, frowning. _I'm sure they're discussing the evidence presented thus far. From where I'm standing, it looks as though Gavin is winning this argument, although he's difficult to rouse to anger, even when he's losing. _

A little ways behind them in a different row, Athena Cykes and Simon Blackquill were silently watching the trial. Athena suddenly turned to Blackquill and said something that Edgeworth couldn't hear, but Blackquill just shook his head at her and kept his attention focused on the defendant's box.

_They make a strange pair, those two, _thought Edgeworth. _There's a significant difference in age as well, I understand. Sometimes, I'm startled to remember that Ms. Cykes is only twenty. Other days, it's all too easy to believe. _

It was only then that, out of the corner of his eye, Edgeworth noticed a familiar, spiky head of hair in the back row. He turned to see Phoenix sitting on his own in between two empty seats, staring at his feet and obviously lost in his own thoughts, not really paying any attention to the trial.

Edgeworth's heart leapt as soon as he noticed Phoenix, and his face instantly felt hot again. All of the memories of the afternoon before came flooding back, and he could almost feel Phoenix's lips against his. Startled by the abrupt rush of sensations and feelings, Edgeworth took an involuntarily step back and ended up bumping himself painfully into the courtroom wall.

From up at the front of the room, the judge sighed wearily and passed a hand over his brow.

"It doesn't seem as though we're getting anywhere with this," he announced sadly. "Perhaps it would be best if this court took a brief recess, to give us all a chance to take a deep breath and clear our heads. I would like to reconvene this court, therefore, in twenty minutes. For the moment…court is adjourned."

He banged his gavel, and the young defense attorney behind the bench slumped over in some combination of relief and defeat.

Everyone else in the gallery stood up and began talking amongst themselves, many of them rushing towards the doors. Edgeworth hugged the wall and kept himself out of the way as they all milled past him and out into the lobby.

Phoenix leaned over a chair to say something to Athena and Simon, then turned around and muttered something to himself under his breath before yawning, stretching, and starting towards the doors.

_He doesn't see me here, _thought Edgeworth, wondering if he should go over and say something, or if he should quietly slip out of the courtroom, head back to his office, and pretend that he hadn't been spying on Phoenix for the past five minutes or so.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, he never had the opportunity to decide.

"Whoa, Miles!" Phoenix spotted Edgeworth as he was on his way out with the rest of the crowd. "H-hi! I didn't realize you were watching the trial too."

_I'm not, _thought Edgeworth uncomfortably. _As a matter of fact, Wright, I've been watching the back of your head. Did you do something different with your hair, today? It…seems spikier than usual, perhaps. No, that's not exactly it..._

Phoenix was now grinning at Edgeworth again, and Edgeworth found that he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Wright," he managed, clearing his throat and doing his best to retain his composure. "You look like an idiot. What are you smiling at?"

He tried to scowl like his old, curmudgeonly self, but it didn't quite work. Instead, his face just felt strange, and he was having a hard time keeping track of what his muscles were doing.

"Huh? Me?" Phoenix rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. "I'm, uh…just happy to see you, I guess. What's wrong with that?"

_Certainly, there must be something wrong with it, _thought Edgeworth, unable to come up with an actual response to that.

"Poor Mettle's crashing and burning up there," sighed Phoenix, glancing over his shoulder at the defense's bench. "It's only his second case, and I think he went in just a little over his head. Payne's having a field day with it."

"Mettle…that's the attorney, then," said Edgeworth.

"Right," agreed Phoenix. "Honestly, Miles, it's kind of strange. I'm only thirty five, but I'm starting to feel old. All these new attorneys are even younger than I was when I started. Athena's STILL younger than I was when I started, and she's been an attorney at my agency for over a year, now. On top of that, I'm pretty sure I found a grey hair the other day."

Edgeworth shrugged.

"All of my hairs are grey," he reminded Phoenix.

Phoenix laughed. "Oh, yeah, I guess they are. You, uh, wear it well, though."

Edgeworth ran a self-conscious hand through his hair, then coughed. "Er, thank you, I think."

By this time, the rest of the courtroom had cleared out entirely, leaving Phoenix and Edgeworth alone in the room. Edgeworth was suddenly very conscious of the sound of his own heartbeat in the stillness of the empty court.

"It…seems that there will be a recess," he heard himself say. "Wright, would you care to-? GAK!"

Without warning, Phoenix suddenly wrapped his arms around Edgeworth and kissed him like he meant it.

Edgeworth was caught so off guard that he stumbled back into the wall for the second time, but this time he didn't even notice the pain. His body responded instantly and eagerly to Phoenix's touch, and without thinking about it he closed his eyes and drew Phoenix tighter against him, his brain singing with half-panicked relief as all the incredible feelings of the day before came rushing back through him.

After a few shocking, delectable moments, the kiss deepened, and Edgeworth wasn't quite sure how long it had been when he finally disentangled himself from Phoenix and opened his eyes. Phoenix was standing there staring at him with a guilty grin on his face, his hair tousled and his tie askew.

"Wha," demanded Edgeworth breathlessly. "Wha…?!"

"S-sorry," stammered Phoenix, backing up a little to give Edgeworth some more space. "I…uh, look, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since yesterday. Actually, I can't think about anything else. I, uh…I feel like I kinda missed my window, yesterday, when I should have done something super-romantic and swept you off your feet, but..I panicked. Maybe I was um, trying to make up for it, but...I guess this isn't really the right place for that. Yeah. Oh boy…I'm a lot worse at this than I thought. It's, uh, been a while."

Edgeworth found that he was a little dizzy, and he grabbed on to the back of one of the gallery seats for support.

"Er," began Edgeworth, "You have had a lot of opportunities to suddenly kiss other men in the back of courtrooms? That seems…unlikely."

"What? No," insisted Phoenix, shaking his head emphatically. "That's definitely not what I meant. It's just…been a really long time since I felt this way bout someone. I'm not sure I ever had a 'touch,' but if I did, I've probably lost it." He managed a nervous little laugh. "Sorry."

For some reason, that comment annoyed Edgeworth.

_Yes, _he realized. _I hadn't really considered it before, but…though one would hardly call Phoenix Wright a 'Don Juan,' of any kind, he has certainly been involved with other people. Women, primarily. I can think of at least two other cases in which I'm certain he's had relationships with women. Of course, it's quite possible there may have been men, as well._

Edgeworth frowned.

"Hey, Miles?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow." Um…everything okay? You're not angry, are you? I know, I shouldn't have done that. I…I just got excited. I'm actually a little ashamed of myself, now."

_It would be foolish to let this bother me, _thought Edgeworth, only vaguely aware that Phoenix was speaking. _He's a grown man, more than reasonably attractive, who encounters a number of people in his day-to-day life. Of course he's been involved in numerous romantic relationships in the past. No doubt I am the one who is abnormal. Certainly, I have experimented. There were sexual encounters during my teenage years, and a few subsequent ill-advised forays into other people's bedrooms, but I've never really been involved in what one might consider a 'romance.' It never seemed important. There was no time to worry about such frivolous, ridiculous things and besides…_

Edgeworth hazarded a quick look at Phoenix, who, still a little flushed from the kiss, was in the process of straightening his tie and smoothing back his hair as best he could.

_Besides, _Edgeworth reminded himself, with just a touch of bitterness, _there has never been anyone else on whom I've felt it was worth wasting the time. Of course, that doesn't seem to have been a problem for Wright. Good grief, why am even taking the time to think about such things? Regrets of this kind are meaningless, now. Jealousy is wasted effort. _

"Hey, Miles," said Phoenix, looking a lot more serious than he had before. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

Edgeworth shook his head irritably, trying to dispel the unpleasant thoughts that were trying to take hold.

"No, certainly not," he said aloud. "Er…the recess will be over in a few minutes. You'd better get back to your seat."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "you're right. Uh, can I come by your office later? There's something I wanted to ask you, but it looks like I won't have time, now."

"My office?" Edgeworth gave Phoenix a startled look.

Phoenix laughed." No, honestly, I'm not going to jump you again. I just had an idea I wanted to run by you. That's all, I promise."

For a moment, Edgeworth was disappointed, and then just as quickly he was appalled at himself.

"Yes, of course, "he said. "I'll be working upstairs all day. Feel free to come by whenever the trial ends."

At that moment, the courtroom doors opened and people began filing back in. Edgeworth was conscious of Phoenix's eyes on his back as he weaved his way through the crowd, out of the courtroom, and towards the stairs that led to the second floor.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Hmm, I seem to have a thing for courtroom kisses. Oh well.

I have a question for you, my beloved readers:

Which characters would you like to see appear in later chapters of this story? I know that least one of you (looking at you, **The Forgotten Reader**) is a Franziska fan. Any other requests? I ask because I'm coming up on a few chapters that could go in one of a few different ways, so I actually could use some suggestions.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Author's Note: **Ah, work has finally begun again. We shall now return our normal, much more reasonable updating speed.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

**February 23, 2029**

**1:00 PM**

**The Chief Prosecutor's Office**

Somehow, despite the terrifyingly ecstatic turmoil taking place in Edgeworth's usually calm and organized mind, he eventually forced himself to get back to work. Entirely abandoning his stack of paperwork, he located the report on the investigation surrounding Mrs. Billows' furniture store robbery, and managed, for a few hours at least, to fend off all thoughts of Phoenix by devoting himself to picking out the inconsistencies and the details that the detectives had clearly missed during their initial investigation.

By one o'clock, he had already written several sharply-worded notes to various heads of department about investigative conduct, and he was just about to launch himself into his paperwork stack with renewed vigor when there was a knock on the office door.

"Yes?" Edgeworth looked up from the document he'd just started reading. "You may come in."

The door opened, and Phoenix walked in, looking much gloomier than he had when Edgeworth had encountered him in the courtroom.

"Ah," murmured Edgeworth. "I see that Mr. Mettle must have lost his case after all."

Phoenix just sighed and nodded. "Yeah…is it that obvious? I don't know, maybe this Billows woman really is guilty, but losing to Winston Payne sure is a miserable fate for a first-year lawyer. Payne gloats…it's disgusting. He was still doing his little victory crow, going on and on about why they call him 'the rookie killer,' when I left."

"Hmm," murmured Edgeworth noncommittally.

Catching sight of the huge stack of papers on Edgeworth's desk, Phoenix's eyes widened.

"Wow," he said." Uh, busy day?"

_Not so much busy as infuriatingly unproductive, _thought Edgeworth. _Whose fault do we suppose that is, Wright? _

"I believe," he said aloud, "that you said there was something you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Oh, yeah." Phoenix nodded, brightening up a little bit. "Just, um…make me one promise, okay? Don't say no before I've finished asking. Hear me out all the way to the end."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I like the sound of this."

Phoenix just shrugged.

"Trucy,' he informed Edgeworth, "is headlining some big event at her school, in a couple of days. Apparently they do some kind of big spring talent-show, and of course Trucy's going to be the main attraction."

He smiled just a little smugly, like a proud father should, and Edgeworth had to stifle a smile of his own.

"So," continued Phoenix, "I'm taking a little vacation next week. I haven't really taken any time off since I got my badge back, so I'm letting Apollo and Athena run the agency while I go up to Philadelphia to see Trucy's show."

"Philadelhia," remarked Edgeworth. "That's quite a ways to travel just to see a talent show."

"Well yeah," countered Phoenix, "but it's not every day that a father gets to see his little girl perform on stage, right?"

_Actually, _thought Edgeworth, _that's not really the case with Trucy. If I remember properly, she used to perform almost every night at the Wonder Bar during her senior year of high school. You've seen her show hundreds of times, and so have I._

Phoenix sighed.

"Look," he admitted, "I haven't seen her in months. I know, I'm being sentimental and you hate that, but I miss my daughter. I won't make a big deal out of it, and I'll try not to get in her way or embarrass her in front of her friends, but at least I can go see the talent show. I even picked out some flowers to bring her. I sat up all night looking them over on the florist's website, trying to figure out what she'd like. In the end, I went with fake flowers, um_, _because knowing Trucy she'll need something resilient that she can pull out of a hat, or use in a trick, or…something like that. I, uh…I think this might be that 'parenting withdrawal' that people talk about. I never really did get the hang of parenting. Actually, I'm still working on it."

He gave Edgeworth a rueful, self-deprecating sort of smile.

Edgeworth softened a bit at the look on Phoenix's face.

"I think you're doing a very decent job," he muttered. "You're a good father, Wright. Not every man would fly all the way to Philadelphia just for a visit."

"Huh. You really think so? Thanks." Phoenix perked up a bit. "Anyway, that's where you come in, Miles."

Edgeworth frowned. "You want me to keep an eye on your subordinates while you're away? I'm certain that Mr. Justice and Ms. Cykes are fully capable of handling themselves…most of the time."

"Sure they are." Phoenix waved that away dismissively. "They'll be fine. It'll only be for a few days, and anyway, if anything really catches on fire, Diego's just down the street."

_I…would hardly trust the safety of my law firm to a blind ex-murderer, _thought Edgeworth. _Perhaps I had better go look in on the Wright Anything Agency at least once while Wright is gone. _

"No," Phoenix was saying. "Actually, Miles, uh, I was hoping you'd consider coming with me to Philly."

Edgeworth had not been expecting that at all." E-excuse me? What did you say?"

"Well," reasoned Phoenix, "honestly, Trucy's probably going to be too busy to really spend much time with me. She's got an exam coming up, and she'll probably have rehearsals, so…I thought it might be a good opportunity for you and I to spend some time together."

_You and I, _thought Edgeworth vaguely, unable to stop himself from imagining the ridiculous scene of himself and Phoenix, inexplicably barefoot, strolling around the beach together hand in hand.

_Nonsense. _Edgeworth swallowed and scowled at his own preposterous daydreams. _Are there even beaches in Philadelphia? Besides, it's the middle of February. It is far too cold for any sort of barefoot shenanigans. _

"Er," he said. "I...am really not sure if I can get away, just at the moment."

Phoenix nodded, frowning at the pile of paperwork on Edgeworth's desk.

"You're busy," he said. "I can see that, sure. I'm not asking you to move heaven and earth to make this happen, Miles, and it's fine if you'd rather not. I just...well, honestly I thought that you could use some time away from the courtroom. I think you've had just a little too much prosecuting, lately; it's starting to get to your head. It might be a good idea for you to get out from under your father's memory for a little bit and take a deep breath."

Edgeworth glanced over his shoulder at the portrait of Gregory Edgeworth.

"And, uh…well, of course there's a selfish reason, too," admitted Phoenix, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. "You and I obviously have some things to figure out, about our, uh, relationship. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for us to go somewhere for a little while where we aren't an attorney and a prosecutor. I'd sort of like to continue this investigation outside the workplace. It might help things make a little more sense. Maybe. Maybe I'm crazy, I don't know." He shrugged.

"I suppose there is some logic behind that," mumbled Edgworth.

"Plus," added Phoenix, "Trucy would love to see you. She asks about you, sometimes."

Edgeworth frowned." Really? Why?"

"Because she likes you, I guess." Phoenix laughed. "Oh, and I bet Stella would get a kick out of seeing you after all these years."

"Stella," murmured Edgeworth. "Ah, yes…your older sister."

"That's right." Phoenix nodded. "She's curating an exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I don't think she's seen you since you were in the fourth grade."

Edgeworth had a vague memory of a stick-thin, over-energetic seventh grade girl with incredibly frizzy black hair that stuck out on all sides, frenetically doodling in her textbook during the schoolwide end-of-year assembly.

"Yes," he agreed. "It has been quite some time. I doubt she would remember me."

"Of course she would," replied Phoenix. "I talk about you all the time."

"You...you do?" Edgeworth looked up at Phoenix, and Phoenix just gave him a sheepish sort of grin.

"Well, uh, there doesn't seem much point in being shy about it now," he said, shrugging. "A-anyway.."

Before Phoenix could finish his sentence, there was another knock on Edgeworth's door.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir," called Gumshoe from out in the hallway." Sorry to bother you, pal, but we just got a call from the local high school. They're saying they fished a body out of the swimming pool a few minutes ago. Thought you should know about it."

_Oh my, _thought Edgeworth, wincing. _I hope it isn't one of the students. _

"That…doesn't sound good," muttered Phoenix. "Look, you're obviously swamped with work right now, so I'll leave you alone. Just do me a favor; think about it, okay?"

"Yes," said Edgeworth. "I'll do that, Wright."

"If you decide you're up for it," Phoenix went on, "my plane leaves tomorrow morning at seven. Give me a call later and let me know what you decide. I'm going back to the office now, so you can reach me on my cell."

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Gumshoe was still banging on the door. "Are you in there?"

"Yes, Detective," called Edgeworth. "I heard you. Come in, please."

As Gumshoe burst into the room, Phoenix turned around to leave, and they almost smashed into each other.

"Wh-whoa, pal!" Gumshoe's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, it's you, Mr. Wright!"

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix, "but don't worry, Detective. I was just leaving."

He nodded at Edgeworth, then waved as he headed out the door.

"Good luck with your potential murder," he called after him. "Remember, if you end up with a suspect, I'll be out of town for the next few days, so he'll have to talk to Apollo or Athena."

Edgeworth snorted a laugh. "I'll be certain to pass on the recommendation."

"You do that." Phoenix grinned. "See you later, Detective."

For a few second after Phoenix had left, Edgeworth sat and frowned at his daunting stack of paperwork.

_I don't believe I've ever been to Philadelphia, _he mused. _It will be winter, there. I hear that it's been a snowy season for them. Perhaps I should buy a pair of snow boots. I'll want to check the weather report, of course…_

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Gumshoe was frowning at him. "Uh, you okay, pal? You want to come along on the investigation, or should I write you a report when I get back?"

Edgeworth looked up at Gumshoe, and for a moment, he fought a fierce internal battle with himself as his strict sense of responsibility warred with an intense desire to spend the next few days taking his time helping Phoenix Wright out of layers and layers of winter clothes.

Behind Edgeworth, the portrait of his father bore down on him, it's sharp eyes making holes in Edgeworth's back.

_My apologies, father, _thought Edgeworth. _Surely, one short vacation won't seriously hinder the course of justice. It is only for a few days._

"Unfortunately, Detective," said Edgeworth aloud, "I'm afraid you'll have to bring this case to Mr. Blackquill. It seems that I will be taking a short, unplanned leave of absence. I should be back in three or four days time."

"What?" Gumshoe stared." Wait, you're leaving? Did, uh, something happen?"

_A lot of things have happened, _thought Edgeworth, thinking about the kiss he'd shared with Phoenix in the courtroom only hours before.

"Must be some kind of serious emergency if you're taking off just like that," mumbled Gumshoe. "Hey, listen, pal…you know, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

For a strange moment, Edgeworth wondered what exactly Gumshoe would do if Edgeworth did tell him everything that had happened between him and Phoenix.

_That is a truly terrible idea, _he thought, smiling ruefully. _Rumors spread so quickly, and the good Detective really has absolutely no ability to keep his big mouth shut. _

"It's nothing serious, I assure you," he told Gumshoe. "Simply a last minute obligation. As I said, I'll be back relatively quickly. In the meantime…where is Ms. Kwerty? I'm going to need some plane tickets."

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

So, now I REALLY need to get back to working on my lines. I'll be at my computer for hours running lines, so feel free to message or leave a review! I'll be sure to respond. I promised myself I wouldn't leave this room until I'm off book for Act I.

As you can see already in this chapter, I'm going to be delving into a little of Phoenix's backstory, in a few chapters. We'll be meeting at least one of his extended family members, and hearing a little bit more about where he came from. I'm pretty sure he had to have come from SOMEWHERE. Lawyers aren't just created in a vacuum.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Author's Note: **I don't know if I can actually finish this chapter tonight, but I want to try. The ideas for this chapter are distracting me from my work. Maybe if I get it done, I can go back to studying unhindered.

There's a famous quote/saying that goes, "write until not writing makes you anxious."

Okay, so I did that. Now what?

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

**February 24, 2029**

**6:00 AM**

**LAX**

Standing at the terminal, Phoenix checked his watch as he waited in line to check in for his flight.

_It's already six o'clock, _he thought, sighing to himself and trying not to be too disappointed. _Oh, well. I should have known there was no way he'd want to come with me. It was a shot in the dark, but at least I tried. If you never try, you never know. _

"Now boarding rows one through twelve," called the flight attendant standing in front of the doors to the boarding platform. "Anyone for rows one through twelve?"

Phoenix glanced down at his ticket.

_I'm in row eleven, _he realized. _Better get moving._

Grabbing his suitcase, Phoenix took one last, wistful look over his shoulder at the airport hallway, where an alarmingly large group of people was now lined up in front of "Stardoe's Coffee."

It as only as he was turning back to face the flight attendant again that Phoenix could have sworn he saw the glint of a familiar pair of glasses out of the corner of his eye.

"Er, excuse me," called a voice Phoenix knew. "I…I beg your pardon. Excuse me…I had no intention of stepping on your foot. Yes, well, if you insist on leaving your luggage lying out in the middle of the walkway for anyone to trip over, I suppose it's inevitable."

"Miles?" Phoenix stared as Edgeworth, looking beleaguered and even more exhausted than usual came rushing through the rows of seats with a large black suitcase trailing behind him.

"I…I made it," breathed Edgeworth, stopping to catch his breath. "Unbelievable. It seems I have less than minutes to spare."

"You, uh, came," mumbled Phoenix, totally taken aback. "I didn't think you were coming. You never called last night, so I assumed you weren't interested."

For some reason, Edgeworth winced, and suddenly averted his eyes from Phoenix.

"Er, yes," he mumbled "I….ah…"

He muttered something under his breath that sounded almost like the word, "…romantic."

"Huh?" Phoenix blinked. "What? Sorry, didn't catch that."

Edgeworth cleared his throat, looking miserable.

"I said," he repeated, "that I…I made the conscious decision not to notify you that I would be coming today. This…probably sounds as foolish to you as it now sounds in my head, but I had the idea that it might be more romantic if I showed up unannounced. Traffic was unfortunately much heavier than I expected, and that cursed taxi driver had no idea what he was doing…but my intentions were the best. Possibly."

Phoenix gaped.

"Ah," muttered Edgeworth, sighing. "I can tell by the look on your face that I do, in fact, sound like an idiot. I was afraid of that."

While Edgeworth shot a quick, glowering look at the woman who he'd apparently tripped over on the way in, Phoenix found himself filling up with that now familiar feeling of uncontrollable giddiness again.

"No," he told Edgeworth honestly, "I don't think you're an idiot. I think you're great."

"Wha-?" Edgeworth froze for a second, then colored deeply, and cleared his throat. "Please, Wright…if you would refrain from saying such ridiculously confusing things in public. I have already had a very stressful morning. Let's see if we can maintain a pleasantly unemotional status quo for at least the next few minutes. I'd appreciate it."

Phoenix's grin just broadened.

"Mr. Edgeworth, sir!" Another flight attendant fluttered over to Edgeworth. "How lovely to see you! We have your first class seat all ready for you, sir!"

"Ah…yes." Edgeworth frowned." As a matter of fact, I believe I'd like a seat change."

The flight attendant looked startled." A seat change?"

"Yes." Turning to Phoenix, Edgeworth gestured at the ticket in his hand. "Wright, what is your seat number?"

"A11," said Phoenix, checking his ticket to make sure.

"I see." Turning back to the flight attendant, Edgeworth nodded. "I would like to be seated in row 11, if you please."

"Wait, what?" The large man standing just in front of Phoenix turned around and glared suspiciously at Edgeworth. "But, uh, that's my seat. I'm in that row."

"Indeed?" Edgeworth nodded. "In that case, sir, I would be happy to exchange with you. Ma'am, if you could please re-seat this gentleman in first class. I trust that will be acceptable?"

Edgworth raised an eyebrow at the large man, who just stared for a second, then shot him a toothy, uncertain sort of grin.

"Uh…you mean it?" He scratched thoughtfully at the top of his head. "Well, gee, that's great. Thank you very kindly, sir."

"My pleasure," muttered Edgeworth dismissively. "Well, Wright, I believe it's our turn to board. Let us not keep these good people waiting."

With that, Edgeworth started forward towards the entrance to the jet bridge, and Phoenix had to hurry to catch up with him.

"But, sir," called the flight attendant frantically behind them. "Please, wait!"

Edgeworth ignored her.

Phoenix followed him across the bridge and on to the plane, where the bored looking pilot mumbled a greeting at them before ushering them dismissively to their seats.

"Wow, Miles," remarked Phoenix once they'd settled into the newly acquired row eleven seats. "You gave up a first class seat for me. I'm touched."

"It wasn't for you," snapped Edgeworth. "I have had some…unpleasant experiences on airplanes in the past. In the case of an unforeseen emergency, I would like to have someone sitting next to me who would be willing to provide me with an alibi if the need arises."

"An alibi?" Phoenix blinked. "Wait…what are you planning on doing, exactly? Remember, I'm taking a vacation from defense. I'm just going to see my daughter. I'm not supposed to have to work on this trip."

"The best laid plans of mice and men," muttered Edgeworth darkly, settling back in the seat and closing his eyes.

As the flight attendants made their usual announcements and stood in the aisles waving their arms back and forth, Phoenix contemplated all the various questions that he really wanted to ask.

_Why, _he wondered, _did you decide to come, Miles? What changed your mind? Does my hair look as bad right now as I think it does?_

Instead of asking any of these questions aloud, however, he found himself watching the lines on Edgeworth's face; the tight, drawn way he'd set his lips and the tense, rigidity of his shoulders.

"Hey, Miles," asked Phoenix, "you, uh, don't like airplanes, do you?"

Edgeworth just shook his head. "Not particularly, no."

_And yet, _thought Phoenix, _you came anyway._

"Sorry," he said. "If I'd known, I could have offered you some Dramamine, or something. It's a pill that helps you pass out on planes."

"I'll be fine," mumbled Edgeworth. "It won't be a terrifically long flight, at least."

_Hold it, _thought Phoenix. _Doesn't it take something like six or seven hours to get from Los Angeles to Philadelphia?_

"Long," muttered Edgeworth, "is comparative. I have spent far too much time on international flights."

"Oh, uh, okay," agreed Phoenix. "Fair enough."

_That's right, _Phoenix realized as the airplane started forward, moving very slowly at first. _Miles has done some international investigative work. I guess I've never asked him much about the details of those cases, but I'm curious. It was a long time ago, now…almost ten years. It's weird how time flies. _

The airplane was now in the process of taking off, lifting up faster and faster off the ground.

"This isn't my favorite part," admitted Phoenix to a silent and essentially unresponsive Edgeworth. "It always makes me feel a little queasy when we first take off."

"Nngh," mumbled Edgeworth.

"Heads up, everybody," announced one of the too-perky flight attendants over the speaker system. "We're expecting a little turbulence on the way up, so keep those seatbelts on and hang on nice and tight! Here we go!"

_It's only seven o'clock, _thought Phoenix, not sure if he was impressed or annoyed. _How much coffee did that flight attendant drink this morning? She's way too excited about this._

Even before he finished the thought, the flight attendant's prediction started coming true. The airplane began shaking, then shifting back and forth and struggling to maintain balance as it made its way up through the sky.

For a couple of seconds, Phoenix gritted his teeth and hung on to the armrest.

"Yikes," he sighed. "Good thing we're used to this kind of thing in California. It almost feels like a low magnitude…earthquake."

As soon as he said the word, Phoenix realized what that meant.

"Oh," he whispered." Crap."

He turned to Edgeworth, who was now hunched over in the seat, his eyes shut tight and both of his hands gripping so hard at the armrests that his knuckles had turned white.

"Miles," said Phoenix, but Edgeworth didn't respond.

Edgeworth's breathing was coming out in short, sharp gasps as he did his best to fight off the panic that Phoenix knew he must be feeling. His whole body was shivering, too, and Phoenix couldn't be totally sure if that was due to Edgeworth's panic, the tremors of shaking plane or some combination of the two.

"Miles," said Phoenix again, keeping his voice steady. "It's okay. It's just an air pocket. We're going to be fine."

"Ngah," gasped Edgeworth helplessly through gritted teeth.

_So, _thought Phoenix. _This is what he's been so tense about. No wonder he doesn't like airplanes. I should have known this was going to be a problem. Nice going, Wright. Way to be thoughtless. Agh. _

"Hey," said Phoenix, "It'll be over soon. Everything's going to be okay. Just hang in there."

Carefully, gently so as not to startle Edgeworth into panicking or getting even more upset, Phoenix reached out and laid a hand on Edgeworth's arm. Edgeworth was trembling violently now, and there were goosebumps all up and down the exposed part of his wrist.

Edgeworth's eyes flew open suddenly when Phoenix touched his arm.

"W-Wright," he managed.

"Sorry," muttered Phoenix. "Next time we go on vacation, we'll go somewhere closer. Do you like trains? I've always liked trains. They're so relaxing…and you can get a lot of good work done on trains."

Edgeworth shuddered and closed his again, while Phoenix kept talking.

"At least," he went on casually, "you can if you can keep from falling asleep. Actually, I've made the mistake before of falling asleep on the train, missing my stop, and ending up somewhere I really didn't want to be. My sister Stella always says that when you get off at the wrong stop, it's time to have an exciting adventure in a mysterious new place, but I've just never been the kind of guy who likes those little 'adventures.' I like having a plan. It's much safer, much less messy. Still, you have to make the best of whatever situation you're in, I guess."

He kept droning on in a level, calming voice, rambling about trains and about nothing in particular until he felt Edgeworth began to relax just the tiniest bit.

Eventually, the plane stopped shaking, the air calmed, and the Fasten Seat-Belt sign finally flickered off.

For a long few moments after that, Edgeworth stayed hunched up in his seat, taking deep, slow, steadying breaths.

Phoenix kept his hand resting lightly on Edgeworth's arm until the flight attendant came by to pass out peanuts.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Hmm. Yes. I think I do feel better now.

Okay, now more work time. Glad we got that out of my system.

Sorry for the short chapter, but this scene really ends here. The next chapter has Trucy in it! Yaaaay Trucy!


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Author's Note: **This chapter pays homage to the unusually cold winter that we are having here in DC (and in Philadelphia, as well.)

I recently looked up current temperatures in Los Angeles, CA. it's 70 degrees there. It's 9 degrees here.

I think that's really all that I need to say about that.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

**February 24, 2029**

**11.00 AM (East Coast Time)**

**Philadelphia International Airport**

Seven hours later, at the end of a mostly uneventful plane ride, Phoenix and Edgeworth stood shivering around the baggage claim on the huge Philadelphia airport's first floor, watching through the windows as various shuttles and buses set out for local hotels and other accommodations.

Phoenix sneezed, then sneezed and sneezed again.

"Gak," he muttered miserably**. **"Sorry…it's just so cold. Why…why does it have to be so cold?"

"Before I left this morning," replied Edgeworth, "I checked the weather report online. According to the top three leading weather prediction websites, it is currently no more than nine degrees in the city of Philadelphia."

Phoenix just stared at him.

"N…NINE degrees?" He shuddered violently, then sneezed another few times and wrapped his arms tighter around his chest, hugging himself for warmth. "Wait, is that even legal?"

"I don't understand the question," muttered Edgeworth. "I do not know of any human laws imposed on mother nature."

"Shut up," suggested Phoenix, too cold even to bother glaring at Edgeworth. "You know what I meant. It's just an expression."

Edgeworth smirked.

"I really hope the hotel's warmer than this," mumbled Phoenix. "I may just snuggle up under the covers and stay there where it's warm until it's time for Trucy's show. I thought I'd take you over to see Stella, but it may not actually be worth going out in this frigid hell."

"Ah." Edgeworth frowned, opened his mouth, and then closed it again.

"What ?" Phoenix turned to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing at all," replied Edgeworth, just a little too quickly. "It's only that I had assumed you would be staying with your sister during your time in the city."

"Oh, no, that…that would be a terrible idea," said Phoenix, laughing. "Stella's an artist. She, uh…doesn't keep her place what either of us would consider 'neat and clean.'"

"Your definition of 'neat,' and mine are very different, Wright," countered Edgeworth.

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "I know. Like I said, hers doesn't fit either definition. It's that bad. The last time I went to visit, she spent hours just trying to find the cot she'd promised I could sleep on, so I ended up sleeping on the cat. It was the softest thing we could find."

Edgeworth's eyes widened slightly.

" I'm probably better off," Phoenix went on, "just checking into a hotel room, so I went ahead and booked a reservation before we left."

Edgeworth nodded slowly, and there was now an unreadable, slightly strained look on his face.

"I…see," he muttered, swallowing and clearing his throat. "I'm afraid I was unable to book a reservation prior to arriving at the airport this morning. The hotel I contacted seemed to be having some trouble with the phone lines. I assume that was due to the cold."

"Probably." Phoenix shrugged.

"I suppose that I shall have to locate a suitable hotel now that we've arrived," Edgeworth went on. "No doubt in an area this size there will be someplace acceptable with a few vacant rooms."

_Right, _thought Phoenix, awkwardly flexing his fingers inside his coat pockets and shifting a little on his feet. _I should probably be really careful about the way I say this next thing, or he's going to get spooked. I don't actually want to give the poor guy a heart attack. _

"Hey, uh, Miles," began Phoenix casually. "Don't take this the wrong way, or anything, but I sort of figured you'd stay with me. In, uh, the same hotel room."

Just as Phoenix had predicted he would, Edgeworth instantly recoiled, looking startled and slightly panicked.

"Wha," mumbled Edgeworth frantically. "I am certainly flattered by the invitation, Wright, but I…I do not feel that would be, erm…quite appropriate."

_Yep, _thought Phoenix, sighing to himself. _Well, maybe this isn't such a bad thing. If he's already jumping to that kind of conclusion, at least it means I'm not the only one who's been thinking about it. That's…that's definitely good, I think. Isn't it? _

"No, honestly," Phoenix insisted aloud, "that's not what I meant. I'm not trying to seduce you."

Edgeworth shot him a complicated look that was some confusing combination of relief, alarm, and vague disappointment.

"Er," he asked, "you're not? A-ack."

While Edgeworth stood there, looking slightly stunned that he'd let those words slip out of his mouth, Phoenix held up a hand in protest.

"No," he assured Edgeworth, "I'm not."

_But hey, _he thought, before he could stop himself, _if you want me to, I'd be happy to start. Very, very happy. Oh dear. _

Flushing pink, Phoenix sneezed several more times to cover his confusion.

"I-I just thought," he managed when he'd finally finished sneezing, "that it might save us both some money if we shared some of the expenses while we're here. You know, rooms and taxis."

"I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own room and transportation" began Edgeworth. "However, if you need some assistance, Wright, I-!"

"And," interrupted Phoenix, "it'd make logistics a lot easier. We could have dinner together before the show tonight, and then take a taxi from the hotel to the college."

Edgeworth still looked doubtful.

"The room has two beds," insisted Phoenix, pushing his argument now that he could see that he had Edgeworth in uncertain territory. "And remember, Miles, we're supposed to be spending this vacation together. Just think of it as an investigation into the prosecutor/attorney relationship. I won't be 'inappropriate,' honestly. We'll find some terrible courtroom drama to watch, and we'll probably stay up all night arguing about it and making each other crazy. That doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

"I…suppose so," mumbled Edgeworth after a long, dubious moment. "Very well, Wright. I accept your proposal. Not that you don't regularly make me crazy as things are."

Phoenix grinned hopefully. "Can I take that as a compliment?"

If anything, Edgeworth only colored more deeply.

"That," he snapped, "is not what I meant, and you know it."

Phoenix could feel himself starting to grin again.

_Oh, _he thought, _really? I'm not so sure about that…_

Before he could come up with a fitting response, however, Phoenix's phone began ringing in his pocket.

"Sorry," said Phoenix, pulling it out and glancing at the caller ID. "It's Apollo. I have to take this."

"It's no trouble," said Edgeworth, retrieving his own phone from inside his coat. "No doubt I should contact the prosecutor's office to see what's become of the body that was found in the high school pool."

Retreating for a moment into separate parts of the baggage claim area, Phoenix and Edgeworth both attended to their own phone calls.

"I'm here, Apollo," said Phoenix, when he picked up the phone. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," said Apollo on the other end of the line." Did your flight make it in?"

"I'm in Philly now," Phoenix told him. "Trucy will be sad that you couldn't make it. She misses you."

"Yeah, I know," replied Apollo. "I miss her too, of course. Tell her that we're thinking of her back at the office."

_That's not quite good enough, _Phoenix thought, frowning to himself. _Maybe you should give her a call yourself, Apollo. I know she'd like that. _

"Turns out it's a good thing that I decided to stay behind, though," Apollo was saying. "Athena just picked up a new client, and she wants me to help with the investigation."

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix, nodding to himself. _I had a hunch this might happen after they found that body in the pool. _

"The principle at Henry Drummond High found a body in the swim team's pool last night," Apollo went on.

"I know," Phoenix informed him. "I was in the prosecutor's office when Gumshoe reported it."

"You…were?" For a moment, Apollo sounded suspicious. "Uh…why were you in the prosecutor's office, exactly?"

Awkwardly, Phoenix coughed, then shivered and sneezed a few times.

"I had business with the Chief Prosecutor," he said, trying to make it sound professional and uninteresting.

"Right," muttered Apollo, obviously unconvinced. "Sure, okay. Whatever you say Mr. Wright. Um, anyway…it turns out the body belonged to a ninth grade math teacher named Katy Cumference."

Phoenix winced.

_I think she was Trucy's math teacher, _he realized. _She was a nice lady. _

He had a vague sort of memory of a small, middle-aged woman with large shimmery earrings shaped like the symbol for "pi."

"Sorry to hear that," he said aloud. "I knew her."

"Oh." Apollo didn't say anything for a moment., "Um...that's a shame," he mumbled eventually. "I'm sorry. Did you, uh, know her well?"

_Not really, _realized Phoenix. _I guess it doesn't matter, now_. _She did give Trucy an A in geometry in the ninth grade. That's enough reason to like her. Trucy never was much good at math. She takes after her Daddy, that way. _

"Do the police," he asked, "have a suspect?"

"Yeah," said Apollo. "They arrested the principle, Harvey Dorite. Apparently he has a motive; they say he was having an affair with Ms. Cumference, and she was thinking about telling her husband."

_Great, _thought Phoenix, rolling his eyes. _Well, after all, it is February, the right time of the year for crimes of passion, just like Edgeworth said._

"The trial," Apollo informed Phoenix, "is tomorrow. Athena's going in alone, because I'll be busy on another case, but she should be fine. I just wanted to give you the head's up."

"Thanks," returned Phoenix. "Good luck, both of you. Blackquill's going to be prosecuting that case."

"Simon, huh?" Apollo sighed. "Oh well. I'd take him over Klavier any day."

_Liar, _thought Phoenix. _Gavin's not such a bad guy, and you don't hate him nearly as much as you think you do._

"I gotta go get to work," Apollo was saying. "Enjoy the show, Mr. Wright. Say hi to Trucy for me."

After hanging up the phone, Phoenix turned around to find Edgeworth watching him.

"It seems we have a suspect," muttered Edgeworth, "although, judging by what I overheard on the end of that phone call, I believe you already knew that."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "He's already asked Athena to defend him."

"I see." Edgeworth sighed. "I suppose if you had stayed in Los Angeles, he probably would have turned to you. You've been making quite a name for yourself lately, Wright."

"I have a lot of reputation to win back," countered Phoenix, shrugging. "I used to be a pretty well known lawyer. I've got my work cut out for me if I'm ever going to go back to being the guy I was ten years ago."

"Ten years ago, you were the first attorney to ever break my perfect trial record," Edgeworth reminded him. "That in itself was an impressive claim to fame. Unfortunately, there are no more villains of my caliber for you to overcome…at least, not at the moment."

Phoenix couldn't decide if he should get annoyed at Edgeworth for referring to himself as a 'villain,' or make fun of him for being so arrogant about his significance to Phoenix's early career.

_Probably both, _he decided. _No more villains, huh?__What about Kristoph Gavin, or the Phantom? Well, then again, those weren't really my villains. Apollo and Athena deserve more credit for beating them than I do. __Nevermind, just let it go. _

"We're on vacation," he reminded Edgeworth. "The trial will have to go on without us. We're not supposed to be talking about work, here."

"Men like us," countered Edgeworth, "aren't able to so easily detach themselves from the job, Wright."

Phoenix shrugged. "Maybe not, but let's at least try."

Pulling his coat even tighter over his shoulders, Phoenix shivered, sneezed twice more, and then nodded at the walkway which led to the underground parking lot.

"Come on," he urged. "At least one of these buses will take us to the hotel. I think we have to look for the 'Main line E6.' It should be blue.'"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Sorry for another super short chapter today. I thought Trucy would appear in this one, but this scene seemed to stand better on it's own.

Trucy will show up soon, though I promise. We are, after all, in Philadelphia primarily to see her!

In upcoming chapters, Phoenix and Edgeworth explore Philadelphia, with varying and mixed results. We will meet Phoenix's older sister Stella, we will see Trucy's talent show, and Phoenix and Edgeworth will have to cope with sharing a single hotel room.

I'm also going to make about six hundred references to my own Alma Mater, a college in the Philadelphia area which I love very much. If you can figure out which one it is based on the clues, I'll give you a cookie.

But for now, I need to work out and work on my lines.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Author's Note: **Wow, we are already at chapter twenty.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been kind enough to read and review thus far. It makes my days better, brighter, and more fun. I hope I can give you a little bit of the same! That's the goal, at least.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

**February 24, 2029**

**12:30 PM**

**Buddy's Cheesesteak Shack**

After dropping their suitcases off at the hotel, Phoenix and Edgeworth set out for the art museum where Stella Wright was supposed to be working. It was a long walk from the hotel to the museum in what Phoenix kept thinking of as the almost criminal cold, and they ended up stopping into a hole-in-the-wall fast food restaurant on the way, just to warm up.

Phoenix hadn't eaten anything that day except for a tiny bag of in-flight peanuts so he bought him and Edgeworth each a famous Philadelphia cheese steak. While Phoenix ripped hungrily into his steak, Edgeworth gave his an extremely doubtful look.

"What," demanded Edgeworth, "is this? Is this some kind of perverse culinary joke?"

"No," replied Phoenix around a mouthful of sandwich, "it's a cheese steak. You're supposed to eat it."

"I…don't think it's edible." Edgeworth was turning the cheese steak over delicately in his hands, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he watched it warily. "I have eaten cheese steaks before. They are relatively unsophisticated sandwiches, filled with thinly-sliced beef and coated with layers of melted mozzarella cheese. I've indulged in a few at the courthouse cafeteria on busier days when I've been pressed for time, but this…thing is not a cheese steak."

"Sure it is." Phoenix gestured at the one in Edgeworth's hand. "This is the real thing, though; the kind you can only get in Philly. Real Philadelphia cheese steaks are drizzled with extra cheese wiz. You're having the authentic tourist experience, right now."

"I…see," mumbled Edgeworth. "I'm starting to get the impression, Wright, that Philadelphia is a disgusting place. How exactly am I supposed to eat this?"

Phoenix just laughed. "You start by sticking one end in your mouth," he said. "Chew, swallow, repeat. Go ahead, try it."

"The…cheese product is going to get all over my sleeves," protested Edgeworth. "It squeezes out whenever I try to take a bite."

"I'm still starving," Phoenix informed him. "If you don't want yours, I'll eat it…or we can wrap it up and take it back to the hotel room for me to eat for breakfast tomorrow."

Edgeworth's eyes went wide with horror.

"This is not breakfast," he said quickly. "It is barely even food."

Phoenix just shrugged.

"Ngh," muttered Edgeworth, sighing and scowling at the cheese steak. "Nevertheless, it was a gift, and it would be rude of me to reject it. I'll…do my best."

Pausing a moment, he valiantly took a bite, and then made one of the most amazingly, almost comically appalled faces Phoenix had ever seen.

"Ngah," choked Edgeworth. "I…I'm so sorry, Wright. I seem to have failed you. I can't eat this. There's just no way."

While Edgeworth hung his head in defeat, Phoenix tried as hard as he could to stifle his laughter, but he failed entirely. He kept grinning and chuckling under his breath long after they'd left the steak shack and were back on their way down the street towards the museum.

**Some short time later, outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art…**

"I've only been to this museum once before," Phoenix explained as they strode up the concrete steps of the famous Philadelphia Museum of Art. "Trucy and I came here together one afternoon after we finished visiting colleges. I only had a chance to see a few of the exhibits, but they have an impressive collection. I was hoping I'd get to spend some more time here, someday. This should be a great experience. I'm actually pretty excited."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow."I'm glad to hear it, but I had no idea you were so enthusiastic about fine art."

"What? Really?" Phoenix turned and frowned at him in surprise. "Of course I like art. I was an art major for a while before I decided to study law. I was pretty serious about it, too."

_I am not certain that the phrases 'art major' and 'serious' belong in the same sentence, _thought Edgeworth, hiding a smile.

"There are days now," Phoenix went on, "lots of days , actually, when I wish I'd decided to stick to art and to finish my degree." He sighed. "Somehow, I feel like it would be a lot less stressful."

_I think I can guess understand that, _thought Edgeworth. T_he albeit difficult lifestyle of a starving artist does not usually get one accused of murder. As lawyers, we seem to take the occasional arrest on capitol charges for granted as a necessary professional hazard. _

"No doubt the life of a defense attorney is much more financially sound than the life of an artist," Edgeworth suggested.

"That's not saying much," retorted Phoenix. "Then again, you have a point. If I can barely make ends meet as a lawyer, how would I survive as an artist?"

"We artist types mostly live off of dreams and the breath of inspiration," announced an amused female voice from behind them. "Then again, Nix was always a pretty good at sketching. As a kid, he was a lot better than me, although if you quoted me on that, I'd deny it. He used to make me so damn jealous!"

Phoenix and Edgeworth both turned around and came face to face with the broad grin of a short, stick-thin woman with clouds of long, black, incredibly frizzy hair, shot through with premature tufts of grey. She was heavily bundled up in layers of button-down shirts and puffy, paint-stained vests, and there were red and purple crayons tucked behind her left ear.

_Surely not, _thought Edgeworth. _I have seen Wright attempt to re-draw maps and diagrams in court, and the results are ridiculous. Well...perhaps he's simply out of practice. _

"Oh, well," sighed the woman. "I guess in the end, it worked out the best for the both of us, don't you think? Hello, darling," she said, winking at Phoenix and then giving him a quick, fierce little hug. "Hoped you'd come. Who's your Byronic friend?"

Phoenix grinned back at her, absently rubbing his ribs as he took a few steps out of hugging range.

"Stella," he said, "It's great to see you! Edgeworth, this is my sister, Stella Wright. Oh, um, Stella, this is Miles Edgeworth. You remember Edgeworth, don't you? We were in the fourth grade together."

"I sure do remember," replied Stella, giving Edgeworth a cryptic little knowing smile. "Like Nix would ever let me forget. Well…here you are at last, the infamous Miles Edgeworth, in the flesh. Oh boy, have I heard stories about you, Miles. Only the bad things, of course."

She laughed, and her eyes twinkled with more than a touch of malicious glee.

Edgeworth coughed uncertainly. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Ms. Wright." Reaching out, he offered her a hand to shake.

Stella glanced down at his hand, made a face, and then rolled her eyes at Phoenix.

"A little stuffy, isn't he? Oh, well. Call me Stella," she said, returning to her attention to Edgeworth and then shaking the hand a bit more emphatically than he'd expected. "Any friend of Nix's is a friend of mine of mine, obviously."

"Indeed. Er, thank you…Stella," mumbled Edgeworth. Something about the very shrewd, direct way that Stella was looking at him was making him extremely uncomfortable.

_She's doing this on purpose, _he realized. _The woman is doing her best to be as embarrassing as possible in an attempt to make me nervous, no doubt. I have seen this behavior before – it is the typical although somewhat unnerving response of the elder sister who is meeting her younger sibling's potential paramour for the very first time. Ms. Stella Wright is testing me…and I don't think this is a test that I can afford to fail. _

He swallowed hard, and Stella just smiled sweetly at him.

"H-hey, Stella," said Phoenix, clearing his throat and taking a quick step in between Edgeworth and his sister. "Uh, I know it's been a while since I've seen you, but you look great. The insanely cold air in this state must be good for you, or something."

Stella looked unimpressed." I look old," she retorted, dismissing that with one languid hand. "Thanks, though. If you want to see something that really looks good, come on upstairs with me. I have to show you the Kanos."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and darted up the long flight of stairs that led from the entrance lobby to the second floor. Phoenix and Edgeworth hurried to keep up. They ended up passing right by a gallery full of impressionist paintings, a room devoted, entirely to nude Greek sculpture, and a huge white canvas containing only a single purple dot in the center.

"Erm," asked Edgeworth conversationally as they passed the canvas, gesturing at the purple dot."Fascinating. What's that one called?"

Stella turned and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Guess," she suggested.

Edgeworth glanced quickly at the name plate underneath the painting.

"Big Purple Dot," he read. "Ah. I see. That's…not terribly creative."

Stella just laughed, and for some reason, Edgeworth felt foolish.

She eventually led them around a corner, and then stopped abruptly on the threshold of a closed-off room with a big, bold sign hanging over the door.

**INK AND GOLD, **read the sign. **ART OF THE KANO SCHOOL. NO TOUCHING. SECURITY CAMERAS ARE WATCHING YOU. **

"Yikes," muttered Phoenix, frowning at the sign. "That's...a little creepy. I think it's something about the way they phrased it."

"The stuff in this gallery is particularly delicate and sensitive to finger oils," Stella explained. "We've had to get a little aggressive with some of our more handsy visitors."

"I…I see," mumbled Edgeworth, not sure he liked the idea of Stella Wright getting 'aggressive.'

_I imagine those particular gallery patrons learned their lesson, _he decided. _After a few days of suffering from twisted fingers and bruised ribs, no doubt they'll be staying away from art museums for some time to come._

"Nix," insisted Stella. "Come on, you have to see this."

She threw open the gallery door, and revealed a dazzling display of dully-glowing gold on the other side.

"Oh," whispered Phoenix, his eyes wide. "Oh, wow. This… is really amazing."

The room turned out to be filled from wall to wall with magnificently beautiful Japanese gold-leaf paintings, giant wall-scrolls and exquisite folding screens, depicting everything from breathtaking panoramic landscapes to intimate portraits of men and women seated at day-to-day tasks. Against the far wall hung a few large, gilded fans, covered with detailed dragons and tigers mid-roar with their claws menacingly drawn.

"These," said Stella proudly, "are the Kanos. This is the first ever American exhibit of the paintings of the Japanese Kano school from the time of the Tokugawa shogunate's reign in Japan. I've combined the contributions of over 30 donors and sponsors to get all this work together in one place for the exhibit. What do you think?"

Phoenix was standing in front of one of the large folding screens with his hands carefully and conscientiously tucked behind his back.

"It's incredible," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've never seen anything like it before outside of the art history textbooks."

Turning back to Stella, he smiled at her with genuine, excited delight in his eyes, and suddenly something twisted painfully in the pit of Edgeworth's heart.

_I had no idea that Wright was such an art enthusiast, _thought Edgeworth. _It seems that even after so many years of our association, he is still a man of many hidden depths. Perhaps I should go and purchase myself one of these art history textbooks he speaks of. It's never too late to develop a new interest._

"Hey, Nix," called Stella, darting over to one of the fans on the wall. "Look at this! Do you recognize this one?"

Phoenix strode over to her and frowned up at the fan.

"I…think so," he mumbled thoughtfully. "It does look familiar. Um…can't place where I've seen it before, though. Maybe I had to write a paper on it, back at Ivy U?"

Stella just shook her head. "Wrong," she said. "This is the same fan that used to hang in Grammy's bedroom when we were kids."

Phoenix's eyes lit up." Oh, that's right! It was pretty much the only decoration she had in that room which one of us hadn't made in art class. I remember it looked kind of out of place in between my second grade 'self portrait,' with one eye and two strands of hair, and that mosaic thing that you did at summer camp."

"Hey," snapped Stella. "I liked that mosiac!"

_Oh, that's right, _remembered Edgeworth, nodding to himself. _Phoenix was raised by his grandmother. If I recall correctly, his mother and father never returned from a friend's destination wedding overseas when he was very young, and subsequently his care and upbringing fell to his grandmother, who was far from a young woman when last I saw her, sometime during the fourth grade. _

Phoenix was now gazing wistfully at the golden fan with a sad sort of smile on his face.

"I guess that says a lot about Grammy," he was saying. "She loved this thing, but she loved us a lot more. You'd never normally put a one-of-a-kind Tokugawa fan next to a bunch of crappy kid's artwork. We must have meant a lot to her."

"You were closer to her than I was," replied Stella, shaking her head. "I mean, I loved her too, but after the fourth grade I left for boarding school, and we didn't see much of each other. I remember you used to tell everyone that you were an only child." She winked at him. "Playing for sympathy I guess."

"I was not," retorted Phoenix. "It's just, if everyone knew that I had a big sister who'd gone off to a fancy, gifted-and-talented boarding school, they'd wonder why I hadn't gone with her. Everyone would have thought I was an idiot, or just not special enough."

Stella laughed, and jabbed him hard in the ribs with one finger. "Oh, you were special all right," she assured him. "Special in a very special way."

Phoenix just rolled his eyes, and rubbed at his ribs again.

Edgeworth felt as though they'd forgotten he was there; as though he was intruding on an intimate family moment. He coughed uncomfortably, and they both looked over at him.

"Uh…I'm not really 'special,' or anything," muttered Phoenix. "Not the way Stella means, it anyway. Really, Miles, the only reason I didn't go is that Grammy couldn't afford to send both of us to private school, and Stella was better at some of her school subjects than I was. Not all of them."

"You were just lazy," said Stella, shrugging. "You'd probably have been fine if you'd just studied."

Phoenix sighed. "I was in the fourth grade," he reminded her. "Who actually 'studies' in the fourth grade? Elementary school is supposed to be about social learning experiences, and…uh, stuff like that."

"I studied," retorted Stella. "That's why I got to go to art school."

"I went to art school," mumbled Phoenix. "Just…later."

"Yeah, and so you became a lawyer." Stella grinned at him. "How does that make any sense?"

"There is a great deal of art involved in litigation," suggested Edgeworth. "Your brother is well-known as the master of the far-fetched bluff. He's become quite skilled at convincing people of clearly impossible things."

Stella raised an eyebrow. "Oh, good," she taunted Phoenix. "So, you're n artist in LIES. Jeez, Grammy would be sooo proud."

Phoenix glared at her, and Stella laughed again.

"She was proud of me," protested Phoenix, a little too much like a peevish, defensive child. "I was a good lawyer."

Stella stood on her tiptoes to give him a condescending little pat on the head. "I'm sure you were, darling."

"You still ARE an excellent lawyer," added Edgeworth loyally, feeling that some contribution on his part was required, here.

Phoenix just shrugged. "Thanks," he said. "I know I am. I just...the last Grammy knew, I'd been disbarred for good. She never got to see me get my badge back."

"What?" Edgeworth was startled. "Why not?"

"Didn't you know?" Stella sighed. "Grammy passed away four years ago. That's when I decided I needed to create this collection. This is the 'Perdita Grayson-Wright Memorial Collection,' in honor of Grammy Wright. That's why I wanted Nix to see it so badly. I've been trying to get him to come to Philly to check it out for months! It's only going to be here for another few weeks before it moves on to New York, and I'm going with it, so Trucy's show came at just the right time. I guess he'd never come to Philly just to see his poor old pining sister but for little Miss Trucy Phoenix would part the waters of the Red Sea and break down the walls of Jericho, if that's what it took."

Phoenix rubbed uncomfortably at the back of his neck. "H-hey," he insisted. "It's not like that. It's not that I didn't want to see you, it's just-!"

While Stella and Phoenix argued, Edgeworth stood and looked at the fan.

_I…had no idea that Mrs. Wright had died, _he realized. _It happened four years ago? I can't remember Wright ever saying a word about it. I don't even recall any discussion of a funeral. That seems odd. Surely this was a very significant loss, to him, and yet he said nothing…or perhaps,_ thought Edgeworth guiltily,_ I was simply not listening._

"Oh, crap," mumbled Stella, glancing down at her watch. "I have to go. I promised I'd help re-hang the cubist nudes on my lunch break. Nix, I'll see you later, okay? You and Miles have fun. Make good choices out there."

She blew Phoenix a snarky little kiss as she turned on her heel and darted out of the gallery, leaving Phoenix and Edgeworth alone.

"Er," began Edgeworth. "Wright. About your grandmother-!"

"Hey, do you mind if we stick around here for a few more minutes, Miles?" Phoenix was now walking slowly around the room, examining the wall scrolls. "I'm not quite ready to leave, yet. There's just so much to see."

Edgeworth wasn't sure if Phoenix had cut him off on purpose or not, but now was clearly not the right time to ask the questions he had.

"Certainly," he said, inclining his head. "It's a breathtaking exhibit. Take all the time you like."

Phoenix grinned at him "Great…thanks."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Sorry about the lack of update yesterday. This one took a little longer than the others (lots of detail, introducing an OC, etc.)

The "Ink and Gold" exhibit is an actual exhibit currently showing at the Phila Museum of Art.

Real Philly cheese steaks are actually made with too much cheese wiz.

This geographically, culturally educational chapter has been brought to you by Ari Moriarty's homesickness for Philadelphia.

Oh, and I know that there is a place in one of the games where Phoenix claims he was raised in a barn. I'm pretty sure he was joking, but if not, you can assume his grandmother lived in a barn.


	21. Chapter Twenty One

**Author's Note: **I have completely memorized Act I. I am so proud of myself. Time for another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty One**

**February 24, 2029**

**6:45 PM**

**Anassa University Outdoor Ampitheater**

Several hours later, Phoenix and Edgeworth sat in the second row in the outdoor college amphitheater, waiting with a few other brave students and their families for the talent show to begin.

Huddled up inside several sweaters and a heavy winter coat, Phoenix sneezed, then sneezed and sneezed again. The elderly woman in the seat next to him gave him a startled look and leaned away.

"S-sorry," he managed, smiling apologetically at her. "It's probably not anything contagious. I just don't do so well with cold."

"Amazing that they decided to hold this production outside, considering the weather," muttered Edgeworth. "It's probably unhealthy for the student body, and it seems unlikely that they'll get much of an audience."

Phoenix shrugged, then sneezed.

"I don't know about that," he said. "Trucy says the students here have a lot of school spirit. They might still show up. Either way, the show must go on."

_It is so cold, _thought Edgeworth, _that I have completely lost feeling in my toes. How long, I wonder, does it take for hypothermia to set in?_

"I wish Stella could have made it," remarked Phoenix, rubbing his hands together and puffing out a breath that froze as soon as it touched the air. "She and Trucy have a lot in common, and she's technically Trucy's aunt. Poor Trucy didn't have a lot of female role models growing up, although…honestly, Stella's not actually the 'maternal role model' type."

"There is always Maya," Edgeworth reminded Phoenix.

Phoenix snorted a laugh. "Um, well, yeah, there is always Maya. Trucy's managed to pick up a lot of bad habits from Maya, over the years. You should see the way my little girl can wolf down a cheeseburger. And you thought that cheese steak was disgusting. Until you've seen Trucy eat a burger, you don't even know the meaning of the word."

_Yes, well, that's a good point, _thought Edgeworth. _True, Maya Fey is a bit...unconventional in her habits. __Still, it's important for a young woman to have other women with which to discuss her personal problems. Franziska, motherless for most of her life, also suffered from a lack of female role models. I will never, never forget the day that she essentially forced me at a whip's end to go with her to the corner store to buy tampons for the first time. It was emotionally scarring, and that sort of thing should NEVER be a brother's job._

"Trucy and Grammy got along pretty well," Phoenix was saying. "Of course, they only saw each other once or twice, since Grammy wasn't really that mobile near the end, but I did bring Grammy to see one of Trucy's Wonder Bar shows once. I think they both really enjoyed it."

"Ah." Edgeworth glanced over at Phoenix, but found that Phoenix's eyes were still fixed on the empty stage. "That's…good. I'm glad they had the opportunity to know each other."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix." Me too."

For a moment they sat in silence. A few chattering young women made their way into the row just in front of Phoenix and Edgeworth, shivering and giggling excitedly about some boy they were hoping to see in the show.

"Wright," began Edgeworth carefully. "I was sorry to hear that your grandmother had passed. I…didn't know."

"Huh? Oh, thanks. Don't worry about it." Phoenix shook his head. "It was a long time ago. She was one hundred years old, too, and just as sharp as she'd always been. It was a good life, but nothing lasts forever. I guess you and I know that better than most people. We see death every day. Grammy got to live out her whole hundred years on her own terms, unlike a lot of the poor saps that we see in string outlines or on the front pages of autopsy reports. I'm happy for her. She was happy, too, when she died."

Edgeworth nodded.

"I understand," he said "Nonetheless, I wish you would have informed us. No doubt the passing was a difficult one for you."

"Probably not as difficult as it was for her," countered Phoenix. "Anyway…I appreciate it, but I didn't tell you for a reason. You were busy, and so was Maya. I didn't want either of you to waste time feeling sorry for me. I never really felt that sorry for myself."

Edgeworth frowned. "There's no need to play the stoic. Suffering from loss is part of being human. You shouldn't be ashamed of it."

Phoenix shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I mean it. I've had some strange experiences with death, I guess. Ever since I lost Mia and met Maya, I've come to realize that the dead never really leave you. It may sound trite, but they're always in our hearts. Just because we can't touch or talk to them anymore, that doesn't mean it's the end. Somehow, in whatever realm the spirits live, Grammy knows that I've made it out of the darkness, and that I'm living the life I chose again. I think she'd be happy about that. She was always super supportive of Stella and my dreams, even when everyone else said that there was no way I could ever get through law school and become an attorney in time to go looking for you. I like to think that she's as proud of me now as she was when I passed the bar exam for the first time."

Phoenix smiled, and Edgeworth found himself thinking back to the moment when Phoenix Wright had first walked back into the courtroom after ten years of absence and disgrace. He'd been smiling then, too, brimming with confidence and self-assured calm…at least, until the trial had begun.

"Yes," said Edgeworth quietly. "I'm sure she's quite proud of you, Wright."

"Thanks, Miles." Finally, Phoenix turned to look at him and smiled. "That means a lot. It really does."

Phoenix opened his mouth to say something else, then sneezed again, sneezed a few more times, and had to take a break to rummage in his pocket for tissues while the woman in the seat next to him actually stood up and moved a few seats away.

"I said I'm sorry," muttered Phoenix stuffily at her. "Sheesh."

"It may be unworthy of me," murmured Edgeworth thoughtfully, "but I envy you your confidence in your grandmother's memory, Wright. If only we could all be so sure that our parents would be pleased with the paths we've chosen."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," countered Phoenix. "Miles...you may not believe me, but I know your Dad would be proud of the person you've become and the things you've achieved."

"Oh, really?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "And how can you be so sure of that?"

Phoenix just shrugged "Why wouldn't he be? I'm proud of you."

That hadn't been the answer that Edgeworth had expected, and as he sat, slightly stunned and trying to come up with a suitable response, Phoenix's laid his hand gently on top of Edgeworth's on the armrest of the chair.

It was only a fleeting, momentary contact. Edgeworth instantly stiffened, and Phoenix removed his hand again before Edgeworth could start protesting this public display of affection. Long after Phoenix's hand had gone, however, Edgeworth could still feel his own hand tingling from the touch of Phoenix's fingertips.

_What a foolish, superior thing to say, _thought Edgeworth. _Wright is 'proud' of me? I won't be condescended to by a man my own age like that._

Despite the protests he tried to make in his head, however, Edgeworth felt good. There was warmth starting in his chest now, spreading out through his whole body, heating the places in his fingers and toes that had already gone numb from the cold.

Suddenly, a spotlight appeared on the stage, and a trap door opened in the floor to reveal Trucy Wright, dressed in her signature cape and silk hat, rising up from the depths and beaming out at the crowd as those few audience members who'd bothered to come enthusiastically hooted, whistled and cheered.

"Wow," remarked Phoenix. "They've got a more impressive set-up here than I expected."

"Indeed," agreed Edgeworth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," called Trucy, taking a dramatic bow, her cape billowing in the frigid wind. "Hello and welcome to Anassa University's centennial talent show! This evening, you'll get to see some of the very best and brightest from the Anassa student body; hear the most beautiful music, view the most stunning art and witness some incredible tricks that you'd never have believed a human being could do!"

"She's full of energy as usual," observed Edgeworth.

Phoenix just beamed." That's my Trucy, for you."

In his fatherly glee, Phoenix seemed to have forgotten all about the cold.

Edgeworth smiled to himself.

"For starters," announced Trucy, 'let me, Trucy Wright-Gramarye warm you up with a few dazzling surprises! First of all, I'd like to introduce you to my co-host for the evening; the unbelievable, the stupendous, the AMAZING Mr. Hat!"

Out from underneath Trucy's cloak came the wooden puppet that she'd christened "Hat Gramarye." There was something colorful in Mr. Hat's hand, and as he took his first bow, he tossed whatever it was out into the crowd.

"Ack," grunted Edgeworth, ducking as the thing came flying straight into the second row. Phoenix reached up and caught it somehow, and then held it out to Edgeworth, grinning excitedly.

"Miles," said Phoenix, "look, these are the flowers that I sent her! I was right, she DID decide to use them in the show after all!"

Edgeworth looked up to see Phoenix holding a hideous bouquet of red, blue, and yellow plastic flowers.

Turning back to the stage, Edgeworth was certain, for just a moment, that Trucy was now beaming directly at him. She winked, and then Mr. Hat gave Edgeworth his own little mocking half-bow, which reminded Edgeworth uncannily of the gesture he himself employed in the courtroom when trying to ingratiate himself with the presiding judge.

"There is no doubt,' muttered Edgeworth, shaking his head, "that she is your daughter, through and through."

"Hmm?" Phoenix frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Edgeworth just shook his head. "Never you mind, Wright. Let's just enjoy the show."

**Some time later, at the campus café…**

After the show had ended, Phoenix and Edgeworth sat in the student café and watched, or rather, tried not to watch as Trucy demolished her mini cheeseburgers.

"Wow, I was starving," she said unnecessarily, grinning up at them and daintily wiping her mouth on a napkin. "All that magic made me hungry, I guess…and I haven't eaten all day! I got too caught up in practicing for the show, and before I knew it, lunch was over and nowhere on campus was open anymore. Oh, well. Thanks for dinner!"

"It was my pleasure," murmured Edgeworth, who was still stunned by how unexpectedly expensive three mini cheeseburgers has turned out to be.

_I suppose that, as this is the only place open on campus at the moment, _he mused to himself, _they can charge whatever they choose. Interesting._

"This morning," Phoenix was saying, "I took Edgeworth to try his first Philly cheese steak."

Trucy grinned. "Oooh, what a treat! Sounds like Daddy's really giving you the royal tour of Philly, huh, Mr. Edgeworth?"

At first, Edgeworth wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"I-indeed," he managed eventually, clearing his throat. "It was, without a doubt, an unparalleled experience."

Trucy nodded knowingly, then turned back to Phoenix.

"He hated it," she said.

Phoenix nodded. "Yup. He made a valiant effort, but he couldn't even choke down one bite."

"Aww, poor Mr. Edgeworth." Trucy reached out and gave him a little pat on the shoulder_. "_They aren't THAT bad. You get used to them."

"Er…I'd rather not," muttered Edgeworth.

Trucy and Phoenix both laughed.

"Oh," said Trucy suddenly, pushing her paper plate into the nearby trashcan. "You went to see Auntie Stella today too, didn't you?"

"That's right," agreed Phoenix. "We got to tour her new exhibit on the Kanos. Have you been to see it, yet?"

"No, I've been too busy with the show," said Trucy, shaking her head regretfully. "Oh, Auntie Stella was here last week, though, and she brought me one of the postcard collections from the museum. The postcards all have little pictures of the Kano paintings on them, so I guess I've sort of seen it. Um, by proxy, anyway."

Phoenix looked surprised. "Stella was here? She didn't say anything to me about it."

"Oh, well, maybe she just forgot." Trucy shrugged and waved that away. "Anyway, it was really nice of her. I'm going to go to the museum tomorrow night after class to say thank you, so maybe I'll get to see the real thing while I'm there."

"It's quite an exquisite collection," murmured Edgeworth. "Worth seeing, without a doubt."

Phoenix was frowning in thought.

"Wait, hold it," he said. "You're going alone? Couldn't one of your friends go with you?"

"Um, everybody's pretty busy tomorrow," Trucy informed him. "There's a calculus test, or something, and I think there's a party at one of the dorms. It's…not really my thing."

_An excellent choice, Trucy, _thought Edgeworth, expecting Phoenix to be pleased that his daughter was opting out of going to big campus parties full of drunken frat boys.

Phoenix, however, looked anything but happy.

"I don't like the idea of you wandering around Philadelphia alone at night," he told her, wagging his famous attorney's finger at her. "This isn't the safest city in the world by a long shot."

"Oh," countered Trucy cheekily, "and Los Angeles is?"

Phoenix ignored that. "There are a lot of bad people out there who'd like to get their hands on a good-looking teenage girl," he went on sternly.

"Dad," sighed Trucy, rolling her eyes good-naturedly, "I'll be FINE. I've done it before."

"Objection." Phoenix planted both hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow at her. "That doesn't prove anything. Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it's never going to happen in the future. You've already been kidnapped more than enough times for my sanity, thank you very much."

"It only happened once," Trucy reminded him.

Phoenix shook his head. "Once is plenty, okay? I'm serious about this."

Trucy opened her mouth to protest, then closed it, frowned, and looked suddenly concerned.

"Daddy," she said, "what's wrong? This isn't like you. When I was a kid, you used to let me run around the city by myself all the time, and it's not like you were super worried about me getting kidnapped back then."

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm learning," mumbled Phoenix, rubbing unhappily at the back of his neck. "Last year, Aura Blackquill took you as a hostage. That was an eye opener. Plus…I don't' know, the older I get, the more I realize that the world isn't such a great place. Maybe I'm thinking about that murder back home."

"Murder?" Trucy was surprised. "What murder, Daddy?"

"Huh? Oh, uh…" Phoenix winced. "Just before we left, there was a murder at your old high school."

Trucy's mouth fell open in shock. "What? Oh no! Who was it? Who died?"

"Um." Phoenix shot a quick, unhappy look at Edgeworth. "I…hadn't actually meant to tell you about this, Truce. It just kind of slipped out."

"Well," countered Trucy planting both hands on her hips and staring him down, "now you have to tell me. Come on, who was it? Was it one of the students?"

Phoenix shook his head. "It was your old math teacher, Ms. Cumference. They found her at the bottom of the pool, apparently."

Trucy gasped, and both hands flew to her mouth. "Oh…oh no. Poor Ms. Cumference. She was such a nice lady…and she was a REALLY good teacher!"

"Yeah." Phoenix nodded. "I remember. The police have already arrested Mr. Dorite. The trial's tomorrow."

"What? That's crazy," shouted Trucy, appalled. "Mr. Dorite wouldn't hurt a fly! There's no way he did it! He is totally innocent!"

Edgeworth glanced over his shoulder, and saw that several of the other late-night diners were now watching their table in surprise. He coughed uncomfortably and returned his attention to Trucy and Phoenix.

"I know," Phoenix was saying soothingly. "That's what Athena thinks. She's agreed to defend Mr. Dorite, and if she says he's innocent, I believe her. She and Apollo will figure out who really did it, Truce. Don't worry."

"Um…okay." Trucy nodded, then took a deep breath. "If you say so. I want you to call me and tell me how it goes at the trial, though, okay? Ms. Cumference deserves justice! We can't let her killer go free, just because the police are idiots!"

Edgeworth coughed, and Trucy shot him a look.

"Oh," she said, a little awkwardly. "Um, sorry, Mr. Edgeworth. No offense meant."

"None taken," muttered Edgeworth.

"I won't be there," Phoenix reminded her, "but I'll get home in time to hear about the aftermath. I'll call you, but I want you to make me a promise in the meantime."

"A promise?" Trucy nodded "Sure, what is it?"

Leaning forward, Phoenix gave Trucy a quick kiss on the forehead. She giggled.

"Don't go walking around Philadelphia on your own," he begged her. "I've only got one daughter, and I don't want her turning up at the bottom of a pool, or crumpled up in an alley somewhere."

For a moment, it looked as though Trucy was going to object. Then she sighed, nodded, and gave Phoenix an apologetic little smile.

"I'll go to the museum next Saturday morning instead," she conceded. "And, I'll ask Peter to go with me, so I won't be all alone when I go. Okay?"

"Okay," agreed Phoenix, smiling. "Thanks, Trucy. Thanks for humoring your doddering old Dad."

"You're not doddering," she told him, laughing. "Not yet, anyway!"

Edgeworth watched the grins on the faces of both of the Wrights, and shook his head.

_Honestly, Wright, _he said, _I think you're quite good at parenting, despite your claims to the contrary._

Suddenly, Phoenix's face froze.

"Hey, wait a second," he demanded. "Trucy, who's Peter?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Today is a great productive day! Wrote two chapters, memorized a whole scene, already got in one half-hour workout and now I'm going back to do another one! The day is mine! Huzzah!

This chapter was written for my own father, Dr. Daniel Moriarty, who to this very day (I am now twenty-seven years old) insists on warning me about the myriad dangers of living in the city, traveling on my own, and regularly leaving the house at all.

Love you, Daddy.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two

**Author's Note: **I had a little bit of an irritated, angry day today. Hopefully, that won't be reflected in my work. Let's hope that this chapter retains its integrity, even though I really want to punch someone (not you) in the face.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**February 24, 2029**

**10:00 PM**

**The Windham Hotel**

It was already ten o'clock by the time Phoenix and Edgeworth arrived back at their hotel that night. There was laughter on the staircase as they climbed up to the third floor, and someone in the room across from theirs was singing loudly to himself along with the blaring radio.

"Wow," sighed Phoenix, unlocking the bedroom door and yawning . "I'm wiped out. If you think about it, then we've already been awake for nineteen hours straight, because of the time change on the East Coast. No wonder I'm so tired."

Edgeworth shrugged. "I'm not typically asleep by this hour. Nineteen hours is nothing unusual for me."

"Yeah…I had a feeling you'd say that." Phoenix frowned. "You know, you should really think about going to a sleep doctor, or something."

"I'm not interested in taking sleep medication," muttered Edgeworth. "Mind-altering drugs are to be avoided if at all possible."

"Right," agreed Phoenix. "I'm not arguing with you there, but there are things you can do besides taking drugs. I don't know much about it, but I'm sure there are tricks the doctors can teach you to help you sleep. Mia used to have the same problem."

Edgeworth nodded. "I'm not surprised. In our line of work, there's always a great deal left to do. We have far too much on our minds to sleep easily."

"Not me!" Sneezing a couple of times, Phoenix sat down on the bed closest to the window. "I sleep just fine. I could pass out right now. Hotel beds aren't my favorite, but any port in a storm, I guess. At least it's warm in here."

He yawned again, then rubbed his frozen fingers together, blew on them to try to warm them up, and began loosening his tie.

Suddenly, Edgeworth's face started to feel hot, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

_It…is a bit warm in here, now that you mention it, _he realized, watching Phoenix struggle out of his suit jacket.

There were a few, uncertain seconds during which Edgeworth contended with the rising lump in his throat and fought a difficult, internal battle with himself over what steps to take next.

_I suppose there really isn't any difficulty about it, _he thought finally. _We are two unattached men, alone in a hotel room at the end of what was essentially intended as a 'romantic' vacation. It's relatively obvious what's expected of me at this moment. _

"Hey, Miles," Phoenix was saying. "You don't mind if I take the bed by the window, do you? This is probably the colder spot, so you'll be better off in the other bed, anyway. Is that okay?"

_No doubt Wright would appreciate it if I were to make the bold first move here, _Edgeworth mused. _That would be the gentlemanly thing to do…possibly. I think. I…agh, I do not have nearly enough experience with this sort of thing. I am inevitably going to make a fool of myself…not that I haven't done so sufficiently already._

Phoenix's cheeks were still a little pink from the cold, and his hair was all tousled and sticking up in funny places, having been trapped under his favorite blue "PaPa" beanie for hours. The effect was a messy, unguarded, and charming one.

"Hey, Miles," said Phoenix. "What's up? You're staring at me. Oh, I know – I bet I have hat hair." He grinned sheepishly. "Oh well. It was either that, or let my head freeze. Today was cold enough that I might have started growing icicles in my hair if it hadn't been for this hat. You know, Trucy gave this to me, years ago. I've never needed it as badly as I needed it today!"

_He's babbling again, _realized Edgeworth. _He's as nervous as I am, apparently. That's possibly a good thing. At least we both feel like idiots. _

Edgeworth cleared his throat.

"Wright," he said stiffly, shooting the words out before he had a chance to second-guess himself. "With your permission, I'd like to kiss you."

Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise, and then, slowly, he started to smile.

_Ack, _thought Edgeworth. _I…I said it. _

"Oh, um…y-yeah?" Phoenix seemed to be having a hard time controlling his face, again. He just kept grinning. "Sure! Uh…yes, please!"

He stood up abruptly from the bed, and Edgeworth took a cautious step closer. Carefully, almost as though he was worried that Phoenix would shatter upon contact, Edgeworth leaned forward and kissed Phoenix delicately on the mouth.

Almost instantly, Phoenix closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss. Edgeworth was surprised and gratified by how easily and trustingly Phoenix melted into his embrace, and after a moment he let his hands slide down to Phoenix's waist, and dabbed his tongue experimentally against Phoenix's lips. Phoenix opened his mouth to admit Edgeworth's tongue, and as the kiss deepened and intensified, Edgeworth pulled Phoenix closer almost involuntarily, Phoenix pressing his palms into Edgeworth's back.

"Mm," mumbled Phoenix happily against Edgeworth's lips. "You're warm."

Edgeworth's heart did a sickening somersault, and then began beating so loudly that he was embarrassingly sure that Phoenix could hear it.

They kissed and kissed again for a long time; slow, deep, careful kisses that made Edgeworth's head spin and his legs start to feel weak.

"Er," he began breathlessly, extremely conscious of the bed lying invitingly just a few inches away.

Gently, Edgeworth began pushing Phoenix backwards, easing him towards the bed, but unexpectedly, Phoenix resisted. Breaking away from the kiss, he suddenly disentangled himself from Edgeworth withflushed, giddy delight stamped all over his face as he ran his hands through his hair and grinned nervously into Edgeworth's eyes.

"Uh, whoa," Phoenix mumbled, taking a deep breath. "You're…really good at that. Really REALLY good at that. We, uh, had better stop there, though, or I'm probably going to regret this."

"Wha-?" Slightly horrified, Edgeworth jumped back as far as he could away from Phoenix, holding both hands out in front of him in protest. "I…I'm terribly sorry. I had no intention of making unwelcome advances on you. I only-!"

"Oh, no no, they weren't unwelcome," Phoenix reassured him quickly. "They were very, uh welcome. Gah, how do I put this?"

While Edgeworth waited, genuinely confused, Phoenix turned away from him for a moment, frowning thoughtfully out the window at the street below.

"Actually," said Phoenix a bit more calmly after a moment, "I don't think we should rush things."

Edgeworth wasn't quite sure what to say in response to that, and before he had a chance to try, Phoenix turned around to face him again.

"I'm really happy that you decided to come out here with me," Phoenix said. "I think we had a good time today, and I'm happy that I got to spend some time with you, just relaxing and seeing the sights. It was really nice. Thanks."

"Er, you're welcome," muttered Edgeworth uncertainly.

"But," Phoenix went on, frowning to himself, "I'm not stupid, Miles. I know that nothing has really changed. We may have had some fun today, but you're still worried about the whole prosecutor/attorney thing. You even mentioned it a couple of times today, although maybe you didn't realize it. Anyway, it's obviously still on your mind, and that's fine. There was no way I was going to convince you to totally change your mind about me in just one day. I wasn't expecting to. Like I said, I'm just glad that we had a chance to be together outside of work for a bit."

_He's not wrong, _thought Edgeworth. _Still, when, today, did I mention being concerned about the nature of our relationship? I don't remember that at all. I'm slightly disgusted with myself. I didn't realize I'd been so transparent. He must be angry with me and I can't blame him. Apparently after he went out of his way to arrange this trip for us, I was still morose and unpleasant. _

"I'm…sorry,' muttered Edgeworth miserably, averting his eyes.

"Don't be, please." Phoenix shook his head. "I'm not upset. I'm hoping we can do this again sometime...although next time, we're taking the train, I promise."

Edgeworth sighed. "I don't see why you'd want to do that," he said quietly. "Despite my best efforts, I'm hardly pleasant company."

"You're you," countered Phoenix. "That's all I need you to be. I just don't want to, uh, take this to the next level if you're still not sure about me. I waited more than twenty years for a chance to tell you how I feel. I don't think it'll kill me to wait for you a little longer."

_I'm not entirely sure that I deserve that sort of faith, _thought Edgeworth.

"I…I do feel strongly about you," he managed. "You must be aware of that."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix, nodding. "I know. I'm really glad." He smiled, and that lump started forming again Edgeworth's throat.

"Wright," began Edgeworth unhappily.

"No, forget it." Phoenix cut him off. "I don't want you to apologize anymore. Just promise me that you're going to keep giving me opportunities to prove to you that we can make this work. If you can do that, then I'll be happy."

Edgeworth nodded. "Certainly. I…would like that."

"Great." Phoenix nodded, then grimaced, scrunched his face and sneezed, then sneezed and sneezed again.

"S-sorry," he stammered once the sneezing had finally stopped. "I've been holding back that sneeze for maybe ten minutes. I didn't want to interrupt my epic speech with a sneezing fit. My nose has been tickling like crazy."

He gave Edgeworth a sheepish look, and Edgeworth couldn't help smiling just a little.

"There," said Phoenix, beaming at him. "You smiled. I win. Court is adjourned."

Edgeworth watched, slightly dumbfounded, and feeling suddenly very warm inside as Phoenix stretched, yawned once more, and then sat down on the bed again.

"If you want," suggested Phoenix, "you can have first crack at the bathroom."

_Yes, _thought Edgeworth vaguely. _That might be a good idea. I never thought I'd say this on a frigid day like today, but a cold shower is definitely in order. _

Turning around, he started towards the half-open bathroom door, then stopped, frowned, and turned back to Phoenix.

"Wright," he said. "Thank you."

Phoenix just waved a hand at him.

"Oh, you're welcome," he said. "That's just good traveler's etiquette. You invite a friend on vacation, you always offer them the bathroom first."

_Certainly, _thought Edgeworth as he shut the door and began fidgeting with the shower head. _But I wasn't talking about the bathroom…and I believe you know it._

**A few minutes later, still in the hotel room…**

When Edgeworth emerged, fully clothed, from the bathroom, he found Phoenix sitting on the bed, thoughtfully reading something on his open laptop-screen.

"Oh, is it my turn?" Phoenix glanced quickly over at Edgeworth before returning his attention to the laptop. "Okay, just one second. You're probably exhausted…I promise, I'll be done soon. I'm just reading this email from Apollo."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Justice sent you an email? I was under the impression that we were supposed to be ignoring work for the duration of this vacation."

"Yeah, well…" Phoenix scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck. "I said that, true, but I guess I'm a hypocrite. Maybe you're right. Maybe people like us really can't take vacations."

"Hah," muttered Edgeworth. "You see?"

Phoenix ignored that.

"Apollo sent me a rundown of all the stuff they found during their investigation of the Cumference murder, today," he informed Edgeworth. "I won't be back in time for the trial tomorrow, but I guess he knew I'd worry about it if he didn't clue me in."

"Ah." Edgeworth sat down on the bed near the door, and almost instantly a wave of exhaustion hit him like a brick. He yawned unattractively, then quickly stifled it and cleared his throat. "Did they find anything useful?"

"I'm not sure," mumbled Phoenix, frowning. "Apparently there's a lot more to this whole 'affair' angle than we originally realized."

Edgeworth rolled his eyes. "Delightful," he muttered sarcastically. "My favorite kind of case."

Phoenix laughed. "I know. Still, this might come in handy. It sounds like Ms. Cumference had actually already told her husband about the affair…and that her husband had communicated with Mr. Dorite's wife. They were all already aware of what was going on days before the murder took place."'

"Hmm," murmured Edgeworth, raising an eyebrow.

"If that's the case," Phoenix went on, "then that eliminates Mr. Dorite's motive. He couldn't have killed her to silence her if he already knew, through his wife, that she'd told her husband about it."

Edgeworth just shook his head, and wagged a finger at Phoenix. "I'm not so sure that's good news for your client. True, one motive has been disproved, but another rises up to take its place. Mr. Dorite might just as well have killed Ms. Cumference in revenge for having revealed the truth to his wife."

"Maybe." Phoenix shrugged. "Still, now the wife has a motive. Maybe she wanted Ms. Cumference out of the way. We have a new suspect, and that's important."

"She was found in the school's pool after hours," Edgeworth reminded Phoenix. "Mr. Dorite would have had access to the building in order to dispose of the body, while Mrs. Dorite would not. I doubt she has a key to the athletics building."

"The murder didn't take place in the athletics building," countered Phoenix. "According to the autopsy report, she was strangled several hours before her body was found. Could have happened anywhere."

Edgeworth frowned. "What could have happened is irrelevant," he said. "Can you prove that the murder did not take place in the school?"

Phoenix shrugged. "Not yet, but we're working on it. I'm sure Apollo and Athena will figure it out before tomorrow's trial."

"Mr. Blackquill," replied Edgeworth, "is a very capable prosecutor. He will not stand for any far-fetched conjectures or baseless accusations."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "I think that's why Athena looks forward to sparing with him so much. She enjoys a good fight."

Edgeworth risked a wry little smile. "As does her employer."

"Yeah." Phoenix grinned. "Okay, I admit it. I do, too, but…there are some days when I'd be perfectly happy with an easy win. Guess I picked the wrong profession for that. Oh well."

He yawned again, stretched, and then closed his laptop and shoved it aside.

"I need sleep," he said. "We've got an early morning, tomorrow, and if we get back in time, I want to at least sit in on the end of the trial."

"I'm afraid that's impossible," returned Edgeworth. "You seem to have already forgotten about the time change."

"Oh? Oh, yeah." Phoenix sighed. "You're right. I guess there's no way we'll make it. I'll just have to trust them to not mess this up."

Sliding off of the bed, he stood up and reached to turn off the light. Then, abruptly, he stopped, looked at Edgeworth and crossed to Edgeworth's side of the room.

"Hey," he said, "uh, is it too much to ask for a goodnight kiss?"

Surprised, Edgeworth opened his mouth to protest, then coughed uncomfortably and nodded "C-certainly. I see no reason why not."

Phoenix leaned over the bed and kissed Edgeworth softly, lingering over the kiss for a long, delectable moment while Edgeworth's insides started to feel warm and jumpy again.

"Mm," mumbled Phoenix. "Resolve...failing."

With difficulty, he detached himself from Edgeworth, gave him one last wry, wistful look, then plopped back down onto his own bed and reached up to turn out the lights.

_I feel strange, _thought Edgeworth in the darkness as he listened to the sound of Phoenix shuffling around, making a space for himself under the covers. _This can't be real, can it? _

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Hmm, that chapter took longer to write than I expected, but I'm not totally unhappy with the way it came out. Not happy, but not totally unhappy.

Time to go work out. It's going to be another very late night for me, tonight. I don't think I'll be updating again this evening, but you never know. It could happen.

Oh, and there's an important lesson in this chapter!

Do as Edgeworth and Phoenix do, ,kids! **CONSENT IS IMPORTANT! **You always need permission from your partner before engaging in any kind of sex play. Thsi has been a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood Old Bag.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three

**Author's Note: **Today my best friends and I are having the most epic girl's night ever, to cheer up a friend who just lost her job. We are taking her out to laser tag (yes, that's what I said. I'm the youngest of my group of friends, by the way), and then we are going to see a play…and then we rented a karaoke room in DC.

The reason I'm telling you all this is that when I return from this trip, it's likely that I will have had a few beers. I'm unfortunately in the habit of posting fanfiction while drunk, so if an absolutely terrible chapter full of typos and OOC moments appears in this story sometime around two or three in the morning, Eastern time…now you know why.

Thank you for your patience.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**February 25, 2029**

**5:00 AM**

**The Windham Hotel**

Phoenix woke up freezing, and he immediately pulled the covers closer around him, burying his head in his pillow for a second as his body tried to accustom itself to the cold.

_I have never missed California so much, _he thought. _I bet it's seventy degrees and balmy there right now. I can't wait to be home, wearing only one shirt, basking in the glow of the sun, which apparently doesn't actually come out in this god-forsaken part of the world. Sorry Trucy, but the next time I come to visit, it'll be during the spring. Maybe late April, or early May. I guess the beginning of Autumn wouldn't be so bad either, like early September, when the world still knows how to be warm. _

Shivering, he sneezed a few times, then steeled himself, took a deep breath, and threw back the covers.

"Gah," he hissed. "Cold! Too cold!"

Fumbling for his jacket, he pulled it on right over his head, then glanced over at the next bed.

Edgeworth, remarkably, was still asleep, curled up in an almost fetal ball in the center of the mattress with his covered wrapped around him burrito-style.

_Wow, _thought Phoenix. _He's actually asleep. I bet that doesn't happen too often. It's a shame I have to wake him up._

For a moment, he found himself watching the lines in Edgeworth's face. There was something much softer, much less rigid about a sleeping Edgeworth, even if he was still gently scowling in his dreams.

"Hey, uh, Miles." Carefully, Phoenix leaned over the bed to whisperer in Edgeworth's ear. "It's five o'clock. We need to get moving."

"Nngh," mumbled Edgeworth, turning over and presenting Phoenix with his back.

Phoenix stifled a laugh.

"Miles," he repeated, a little louder this time, placing a hand on Edgeworth's shoulder. "Come on, our flight's in-! GAK!"

Edgeworth sat up so suddenly that he almost smacked Phoenix in the face with one outstretched hand.

"What? What is it? What's happening?" Edgeworth's eyes had gone wide, and he was breathing heavily. He stared blankly at Phoenix for a moment until, apparently, he recognized him, then immediately looked ashamed of himself and settled back down on the bed.

"I…am terribly sorry," mumbled Edgeworth confusedly.

"Uh, no, it's no problem. You only almost gave me a heart attack." Phoenix tried to laugh it off, but his heart was still pounding from the surprise.

"It seems I was sleeping rather soundly," Edgeworth muttered. "You startled me. It's uncomfortable to wake up in the middle of a dream."

Phoenix's heart sank. "And uh…I'm guessing it wasn't a very good dream."

Edgeworth made no comment.

"Miles," insisted Phoenix. "I thought you were done with the nightmares years ago."

Sighing, Edgeworth stood up from the bed, shivered, and frowned.

"Those nightmares, certainly," he said. "I no longer dream about murdering my father. No man with an active imagination, however, is ever completely 'done with nightmares.' The brain likes to play tricks on us."

_Well, _thought Phoenix, _that does explain why you don't sleep much, I guess._

They took their time cleaning up, collecting their things and double-checking their suitcases before it was time to start out for the airport. Edgeworth gallantly phoned downstairs for a taxi, and then he and Phoenix got ready to leave.

As they were stepping through the door, however, Edgeworth turned around and cast one last, long, unreadable look at the now disheveled hotel room.

"What?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget something?"

Edgeworth just shook his head.

"No," he said cryptically. "I'd rather not. Shall we?"

Without another word, Edgeworth turned on his heel, left the room and headed across the hall towards the elevator.

**Much later that day, at the Wright Anything Agency…**

Tired from traveling and a bit jetlagged from multiple time changes in only forty-eight hours, Phoenix dragged himself back into his office around three o'clock that afternoon.

"Hello," he called out, closing the door behind him and sinking down onto the sofa in the foyer. "Anybody home?"

After a moment, the door to Apollo's office opened, and Apollo himself came out.

"Oh, Mr. Wright, you're back." He smiled, but there was something just a little off about that smile. "Did you have a nice trip? How's Trucy?"

"She's great," Phoenix told him. "She put on a great show, and she asked for you. You should call her."

"Right," agreed Apollo. "I will. I promise."

"I heard about the trial," Phoenix went on, nodding approvingly. "Congratulations on your win!"

Apollo coughed awkwardly. "Uh, well, it wasn't really my win. Athena was the one actually in the courtroom."

_Right,_ agreed Phoenix, _but I know you helped a lot with the investigation. You two make a good team._

"Where is she?" Phoenix frowned at Athena's office door. "I was hoping we could all go out and celebrate together; on me, of course. I'm sorry I didn't make it back in time to see the trial. The least I can do is treat you both to a late, congratulatory lunch."

He grinned at Apollo like the proud father-figure that he kept desperately trying to be, but Apollo didn't look very happy.

"Athena's out," Apollo muttered, shrugging. "She's, um…busy tonight."

_Okay, _thought Phoenix. _I'm not imagining things. Something's really not right, here. _

"Apollo," he said.

Apollo winced. "Yeah?"

Phoenix frowned at him. "What's going on here? Did something happen to Athena? Is she all right?"

For a moment, Apollo looked as though he was going to try to avoid answering the question. Then he sighed, and just shook his head.

"No," he admitted. "Athena's fine, Mr. Wright. She, uh…she's just feeling a little down, right now. Apparently there was some trouble between her and Simon during the Cumference trial. Actually…I think it's Simon that's really in trouble. Athena's just feeling really bad about it. You know how close those two are."

Phoenix was genuinely surprised. "Blackquill? Why would he be in trouble? I know he lost the case, but if Mr. Dorite was really innocent, then-!"

"I don't know." Apollo shrugged. "I'm not totally sure what's going on, I showed up at the courthouse just in time for the recess, and I overheard Gumshoe saying something about it to one of his cronies. Apparently the new chief of police is pretty angry at Blackquill for repeatedly losing cases to Athena. Gumshoe was saying that if Simon let Athena win another trial, the Chief was going to start trying to get Simon disbarred for 'unethical conduct.' Apparently the Chief's decided that Simon and Athena are in cahoots, or something, and that, because they're old friends, Simon isn't willing to fight Athena as hard as a prosecutor should."

Phoenix just stared for a moment.

"That's insane," he muttered eventually, shaking his head. "It's completely unreasonable. Simon and Athena are both competent lawyers. They're both devoted to finding out the truth in every trial. They never 'let' each other win. Simon's just not willing to convict an innocent man for the sake of his job. Of course he's not; he knows exactly what it feels like to be the innocent accused. It has nothing to do with his friendship with Athena."

"Right," agreed Apollo. "I know, but…I don't think that matters. From the police department's perspective, it looks bad. Simon's not winning cases, and everyone knows that he and Athena have a history. People talk, and right now they're talking about how the two of them must have some sort of secret agreement about who wins and who loses."

Phoenix was doing his best not to let himself get angry.

"Sometimes," he said, sighing in exasperation, "I hate people."

Apollo gave him a sympathetic look.

"I think Simon will be okay, though," Apollo went on. "I told Athena that there's no way the Chief Prosecutor is going to let Simon lose his badge over something like this. I'm sure that Mr. Edgeworth can smooth things over with the Chief of Police. Athena's just…worried, that's all. She feels like this is her fault, but it's not like there was anything else she could have done. SHE can't start letting him win. That would only make things worse."

There was now an unpleasant, churning, sick feeling in the pit of Phoenix's stomach.

"Edgeworth," he muttered. "Does…does Edgeworth really need to know about this?"

"What?" Apollo blinked." Of course he does. He's the Chief Prosecutor. Overseeing the other prosecutors and their trials is his job."

_Ack, _thought Phoenix, starting to sweat. _Not good. This is definitely not good. Edgeworth's not going to like this one little bit._

"I, uh…I have to go," mumbled Phoenix uncertainly, backing up towards the door.

"Wait," protested Apollo. "But, Mr. Wright, you just got back."

"I know," replied Phoenix, "but, I, uh, just found out that there's something really, really important that I probably had to do five minutes ago. Um…I'll be back, I promise. If you see Athena, tell her we'll talk. We'll talk soon. I, uh…I have to go."

While Apollo gaped at him, Phoenix turned and bolted out the front door of the office, making a bee-line down the street and around the corner towards the courthouse.

**Some short time later, in the Chief Prosecutor's Office…**

Phoenix threw open the door of the Chief Prosecutor's office without bothering to knock.

"Miles," he demanded. "I can explain! Oh. Um. Excuse me."

In his haste to get into the office, Phoenix had almost collided with a tall, austere-looking man with an impressive curled mustache, and a very military bearing.

"Excuse ME," muttered the man icily.

"Ah, Wright." From behind his desk, Edgeworth nodded at Phoenix. "I don't believe you've been introduced. Mr. Phoenix Wright, this is Mr. Athelney Bradstreet, our district Chief of Police. Mr. Bradstreet, Phoenix Wright, attorney at law."

"Delighted," drawled Mr. Bradstreet coldly, not looking 'delighted' at all. "I've heard so much. And now, if you'll excuse me."

Before Phoenix had a chance to say anything, Mr. Bradstreet had slipped out of the room, closing the door abruptly behind him.

Edgeworth sighed.

"That man," he said, rubbing wearily at his temples, "is an idiot. He made a preposterous suggestion, and I treated it with the lack of attention it deserved."

"Oh," said Phoenix, not sure what else there was to say. "Uh…good."

Carefully re-adjusting his glasses on his nose, Edgeworth settled himself in his chair and regarded Phoenix calmly across the desk, which somehow served to make Phoenix feel even more frantic and ridiculous.

"Um, Miles," he began.

"I assume you're here," interrupted Edgeworth quietly, "to discuss the recent rumors that have arisen surrounding our subordinates."

Phoenix just nodded dumbly.

Edgeworth shrugged. "I'm surprised that I have to tell you this, Wright, but there is nothing to discuss. The accusations against Mr. Blackquill are, of course, entirely unfounded. He has done nothing wrong, and as far as I know, neither has Ms. Cykes. Mr. Bradstreet is a competent and diligent man, but as I said before, he's a fool. He completely fails to recognize one simple, basic truth about the nature of the relationship between prosecution and defense."

Phoenix's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Oh…yeah? And what's that?"

For just a moment, Edgeworth smiled.

"As a wise man once told me," he explained to Phoenix, "there is very little difference between the roles of prosecutor and defense attorney. They are both tasked with discovering the truth from different sides of the same argument. As long as they reach a satisfactory conclusion, and justice is served, they have done their jobs well, even if that occasionally means combining forces for the sake of the greater good. They are not enemies or even rivals, but rather they are two parts of the same whole. Mr. Blackquill and Ms. Cykes seem to have a far better understanding of their duties than the reactionary Mr. Bradstreet ever will."

Phoenix gaped.

"Close your mouth, Wright," suggested Edgeworth placidly. "You look ridiculous."

Phoenix closed his mouth, paused, and then immediately opened it again.

"Wait," he said. "So that, uh, wise man you were talking about. That's me, right?"

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at him.

"No," he retorted. "It was Mr. Diego Armando. I'm relatively certain that it was he who actually made the argument."

Phoenix rubbed uncertainly at the back of his neck. "Oh, uh. Right. Yeah, it was."

Edgeworth leafed thoughtfully through a few sheets of paper on his desk, then carefully slipped them into a desk drawer, and returned his attention to Phoenix.

"Miles," said Phoenix. "That stuff you just said…you really believe that?"

For just a moment, the calm look wavered in Edgeworth's eyes.

"I…think so," he said eventually. "It's a theory that I like, at least. I'm willing to explore it as a working hypothesis."

Phoenix breathed out a little inward sigh of relief.

"At the same time," Edgeworth continued, "I think I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that we recently returned together from an overnight trip to Philadelphia. I don't see any reason to make that information public, at the moment."

"Oh, r-right."Phoenix winced.

_Nevermind, _thought Phoenix, his heart sinking rapidly into his shoes. _I stopped panicking too soon. So, he IS upset about what happened with the Chief of Police. I mean…of course he is. I guess that means we're back to square one, now. He doesn't even want to admit that we spent the weekend together. _

"Don't worry," muttered Phoenix. "I get it. No one has to know. Sorry for barging in like that. I'll, um…leave you to your work."

Turning around, Phoenix had his hand on the door handle when Edgeworth spoke up again.

"Wright," he said. "If you're interested, I believe I know a place a few miles from here where it's very unlikely we'd be spotted by anyone from this department. I'm afraid that walking is out of the question, but I'd be happy to pick you up from your office in a few hours, if you'd be willing to join me for dinner."

_Huh? _Puzzled, Phoenix spun around again.

"What? " He frowned. "But, I thought you said that-!"

"In Philadelphia," said Edgeworth, "you made a request of me. You asked me to give you the chance to keep investigating the possibility of a relationship between us. I told you that I'd like that. You should know that I meant it."

Something warm and hopeful started bubbling up in Phoenix's chest again.

"Eight 'oclock, then," suggested Edgeworth.

Phoenix nodded. "Sure. Eight sounds fine. Um…but first, I have to find Athena and tell her that Simon isn't going to lose his badge. Apollo says she's really worried about him."

Edgeworth inclined his head in Phoenix's direction. "Certainly. I'll wait for you at your office, in that case."

As Phoenix left the office, he wasn't entirely sure what he should think.

_That was way more of an emotional rollercoaster than I needed today, _he told himself, suddenly feeling very, very tired. _This can't be good for my heart. _

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

So, a few things.

No, this wasn't actually a throwaway chapter, and yes, this WILL come back to haunt us in the future. Obviously.

Also, what on earth is up with the Chief of Police's insanely complicated name?

"Athelney Bradstreet," is an homage to two of the lesser known detectives from the Sherlock Holmes book series.

If you have never read the Sherlock Holmes books, please stop watching those truly horrible Sherlock/Elementary TV shows and go read the books. They are much, much better. Much.


	24. Chapter Twenty Four

**Author's Note: **I was a very good girl last night. I stuck to a non-alcoholic smoothie, and so none of you had to deal with my drunk updating.

It was a delicious smoothie, too…but I digress.

Please note; we are jumping forward a bit in time, here.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**March 12, 2029**

**1:00 PM**

**District Courthouse Main Lobby**

_Wow, _thought Phoenix, strolling past the big double doors of Courtroom No. 5. _Looks like court's still in session in there. That trial's been going on all day…Miles must be giving some poor defense attorney a real run for his money._

He peered in, trying to get a glimpse at the prosecutor's bench, but there were too many people packed into the gallery, and he couldn't see anything past the backs of their heads.

_I haven't seen Miles in a couple of weeks, _he reflected. _Not since dinner the night after we got back from Philadelphia, actually. I know he's been busy with work, and sure, so have I, but…you'd think maybe he could have at least called. Uh, well, now that I think about it, I guess I could have called. This is…kind of awkward._

Across the hall from Phoenix, the elevator dinged and then the doors opened to reveal a young woman in a lab coat, looking bored and munching on chocolate snacks out of a little bag.

"Oh, Ema!" Phoenix waved." Morning!"

Ema frowned at him.

"Scientifically speaking," she informed him, glancing down at her watch, "it's already afternoon."

_Uh, right, _thought Phoenix. _Sorry. Just being friendly. _

"Huh." Ema glanced over at the doors to Courtroom No. 5. "They're still at it?"

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "It must be a difficult case."

Ema just shook her head, popping a snack into her mouth and crunching down on it with obvious irritation. "It's nothing like that. They're trying the Millamont case in there, aren't they? I worked on that investigation. All the evidence was there – the footprints, the fingerprints, even the handwriting on the invitation envelopes, and science doesn't lie. If it weren't for that witness, I bet Mr. Edgeworth would have won the trial hours ago."

"Oh…I see." Phoenix nodded to himself. "So, there's a witness that Edgeworth can't quite crack, huh?"

For some reason, Ema snorted a sarcastic little laugh.

"Oh, she cracked all right," said Ema." The trouble is, once that Old Bag starts talking, it's almost impossible to get her to stop."

_Old…Bag? _A little chill of reminiscent horror ran down Phoenix's spine. _Wait, is she talking about…? _

"I bet her testimony is a real nightmare to get through," Ema was saying.

Phoenix sighed. "You're right," he told her. "It is. I've…had a little too much personal experience with that particular 'Old Bag.'"

_Poor Miles, _thought Phoenix, glancing sympathetically over his shoulder at the courtroom. _No matter how many times we think we're rid of her, she just keeps popping back up at crime scenes. _

"What are you doing here, Mr. Wright?" Ema was frowning at him again. "Did you have a trial this morning? I don't' remember hearing anything about that."

"Uh, no, not today," admitted Phoenix. "Actually, it's been kind of a slow few days, for me. Apollo and Athena are at the detention center handling a defense request, so I thought I'd come here, and, uh…"

He trailed off, not quite sure how to end that sentence.

"Oh, I get it…" Ema grinned. "You're snooping around for clues, aren't you? I bet you're looking for Detective Gumshoe, to see if you can trick any evidence out of him. I know how you work, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix rubbed uncomfortably at the back of his neck.

_Well, no, _he thought. _Actually, I just came here to see Miles. I was hoping we'd uh, run into each other during the recess…not that they've had one yet. That's not a bad idea, though, about trying to get some good information out of Gumshoe. Maybe I'll head over to the Criminal Affairs department and see if he's around. Thanks, Ema. _

Suddenly, there was a commotion behind them, and Phoenix turned to see the courtroom doors finally open and people come spilling out, chattering excitedly amongst themselves.

"Oh, it's over," remarked Ema.

"Looks like it," agreed Phoenix. "I wonder who won?"

Ema gave him a disappointed look. "Didn't you hear what I said earlier? All the evidence was there, and Mr. Edgeworth's prosecuting. There's no way he didn't get a guilty verdict."

"Heh." Phoenix smiled." I forgot you were a part of the Miles Edgeworth fanclub."

Ema just glared at him. "D-don't be ridiculous. There's no 'fan club.' Mr. Edgeworth's just one of the best prosecutor we have, that's all, so of course I admire him. He's super smart, and he's actually useful on investigations. Some of the other prosecutors like that glimmerous fop Gavin don't care about the science. I'm not sure Gavin even knows how to lift a fingerprint or analyze a bloodstain, even though that's a huge part of how he makes his living. Mr. Edgeworths' not like that at all. He takes an interest in the inner workings of the science behind what we do. I just wish more people appreciated him and what he does for this city."

_Hey, _thought Phoenix. _Don't make assumptions, it makes an ass out of you and…umption. Anyway, I appreciate him. I'm glad I'm not the only one, though._

Ema's watch beeped, and she glanced down at it.

"Oh, I promised I'd meet Lana for lunch," she said. "Well, good luck with your sleuthing, Mr. Wright. If you're in court tomorrow, I'll probably see you there."

As Ema strode off towards the exit, Phoenix frowned after her.

_Wait, _he realized, _you're going to be at the trial tomorrow? So, you're working on that case, too! Forget about Detective Gumshoe; maybe I should have been trying to worm some clues out of YOU! _

The lobby was still full of enthusiastic trial goers, and Phoenix lingered around for a minute or so, wondering if he could go on in and look for Edgeworth.

_He'd probably just get annoyed if I went looking for him, _he decided. _Maybe I should go up to his office and wait for him there. If anyone asks why I'm hanging around outside the Chief Prosecutor's Office, I can always say that it's about the trial tomorrow._

Heartened by the thought that he'd soon see Edgeworth's scowling face again, Phoenix stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the second floor.

Half a second later, Edgeworth suddenly rushed up to the elevator, glanced frantically over his shoulder, and then darted in just in time for the doors to close behind him.

"Um…hi," said Phoenix, startled.

"Wright," panted Edgeworth, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath. "Whatever you do…I beg of you, do not allow those doors to open. If you have ever held me in any regard, don't let that woman find me."

Phoenix just stared. "That woman? What-?"

"Oh, Edgy-pooooooo!" A horribly familiar voice outside began calling Edgeworth's name in a high, shrill, singsong tone. "Where did you go, Edgy-poo? I haven't seen you in so many barren, desolate, lonely years! Haven't you missed me? I've missed yoooooou! Edgy-poo, where are you?"

"Gak!" Edgeworth flattened himself against the wall and shut his eyes tightly. "Some demons just refuse to be exorcised…"

_Oh, _thought Phoenix. _Right…the Oldbag. Wendy Oldbag. I'm…actually kind of amazed that she's still alive. You'd think somebody would have murdered HER, for a change._

"Uh, Miles," began Phoenix.

Edgeworth held a hasty finger to his lips.

"Silence," he hissed." She'll hear you. Not a word."

They both stood in tense, breathless silence for what felt like an eternity, listening to the sound of Wendy Oldbag pacing around in the hallway outside.

"Edgy-poo," she kept calling, obviously annoyed and disappointed. "Oh…why do you insist on running from me every time we meet? This innocent flower only wants to give you her purest LOVE!"

Edgeworth made some sort of horrible choking noise in his throat, then stifled it and was quiet again.

Phoenix kept his finger pressed down hard on the doors-closed button, until finally they heard Oldbag flounce off somewhere down the hall. Only when the sound of her footsteps had completely disappeared around the corner did Phoenix relax a little. Edgeworth breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

"My apologies, Wright," he muttered. "For what it's worth…you may have just saved my life, or possibly my honor. As usual, I'm in your debt."

Phoenix shook his head. "Forget it," he said. "I have to say, though, I'm really impressed."

"What?" Edgeworth frowned. "Impressed? Why?"

"Well," replied Phoenix, gesturing around the elevator walls, "I think this is a big step for you. Sure, you may have been so panicked that you were out of other options, and getting caught and 'loved' by the Old Bag is probably a fate worse than any horrible death, but you came running right into this elevator like it wasn't a problem at all! Good for you!"

Edgeworth glowered at him.

"Desperate times," muttered Edgeworth through gritted teeth, "call for desperate measures."

It was only then that Phoenix realized Edgeworth had his fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles had gone white.

_He's doing a lot better than he used to, _realized Phoenix, _but he's definitely enjoying this._

"And now," demanded Edgeworth, "if you would please open the doors, Wright, it sounds as though the coast is mercifully clear."

"We could just ride the elevator up to your office," suggested Phoenix.

Edgeworth shuddered and shook his head. "No thank you. I think I'd prefer to walk."

_Okay, _thought Phoenix, _so maybe we're not over the elevator phobia yet. Baby steps, Miles. One thing at a time. You're doing great._

"Sure thing," he said aloud, finally taking his finger off the doors-closed button.

The elevator doors, however, didn't open.

Phoenix pressed the "doors-open" button, but the doors still didn't open.

_Uh oh, _he thought, his heart sinking. _This isn't good._

"What is it," demanded Edgeworth sharply. "What's the problem?"

"Uh…" For a moment, Phoenix wasn't sure how should answer that question. "Looks like I jammed the button by holding it down for so long. The doors won't open."

He did his best to keep his voice level and relaxed, but Edgeworth's eyes went wide with alarm.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Phoenix went on quickly. "As soon as somebody else calls the elevator, it should override the jammed button and then we'll be able to get out."

_I have no idea how elevators actually work, _he thought, smiling as confidently as he could to hide his confusion. _Is there any chance of that actually happening? Oh dear. I'd, uh, better call somebody to come and help us out._

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, Phoenix flipped it open and breathed out a little sigh of relief.

"It's okay," he assured Edgeworth. "I have reception on this floor. I'll send Maya a text. She's just around the corner at Blend 107, so it shouldn't take her too long to get here. Just sit tight for a few minutes. We're going to be okay."

While Phoenix fired off a few frantic texts to Maya, Athena, Apollo and Gumshoe, Edgeworth just sank quietly down on to the floor and huddled up in the corner of the elevator, staring straight ahead of him at the wall.

_Uh oh, _thought Phoenix as warning bells began going off in his head. _Stay with me, Miles!_

"I'm all right," Edgeworth assured him shakily as Phoenix sat down beside him on the elevator floor. "I will not become hysterical. Assuming that enough oxygen remains to us, I can maintain control."

"We're not going to run out of oxygen," Phoenix assured him. "We'll be out of here in a few minutes. There's plenty of air to last us that long. Besides, this isn't even an elevator outage. We're not having a technical failure, or anything. The door just got jammed."

"Yes," agreed Edgeworth quietly. "That's what you said."

Edgeworth was doing an excellent job of keeping his cool and refusing to let himself panic, but his hands were shaking and his face had gone pale.

Phoenix reached out, took one of his hands, and held it in both of his own. For a moment Edgeworth looked startled and made a movement as though he was going to pull his hand away, but then apparently he thought better of it.

"There are security cameras in these elevators," he reminded Phoenix.

Phoenix shrugged. "So? Does anyone ever actually check the recordings?"

"They do if there's a reason," returned Edgeworth. "If some crime takes place that requires a review of the security footage, then-!"

"I don't think we should be worried about that right now," said Phoenix. "Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?"

Edgeworth opened his mouth to protest, then swallowed hard, and nodded. His hand in Phoenix's was cold and trembling, but at least he didn't insist on having it back.

"There's one good thing about this, at least," Phoenix went on. "Oldbag can't get to us in here, if the elevator's jammed."

Edgeworth just nodded.

"And," Phoenix went on conversationally, "I was hoping I'd have the chance to see you, today. It's been a while since we've run into each other. I've, uh…missed you."

Edgeworth colored slightly, then cleared his throat.

"My apologies," he muttered. "I've been terribly busy, these past few weeks."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Phoenix smiled a little nervously. "Actually, I'm glad to hear you say that. I was sort of starting to think that you were avoiding me."

Edgeworth shook his head.

"Not intentionally," he admitted. "Although, I suppose there's no point in trying to hide the fact that this new development in our relationship is a bit…unsettling. I have never been particularly skilled at dealing with difficult emotions. I frankly find the whole thing a bit overwhelming. A simple meeting in the hallway is much more stressful now than it used to be. A shared glance across the courtroom cafeteria will sometimes haunt me for the rest of the day. It's…much easier to keep my distance, if you must know."

_Yeah, but think about how I must feel, _thought Phoenix.

"Um, I'm flattered," he said aloud. "And I get it, I really do. Things aren't the way they used to be, and that's a little scary, but…don't start avoiding me. That won't solve anything. It'll probably just drive us both crazy."

Edgeworth nodded. "I'm sorry. I'll certainly try. You'll have to be patient with me, Wright. I'm afraid that I'll never be the hero of a romantic novel. I'm uncomfortable and awkward when it comes to feelings. I'd very much like to be the sort of man who could sweep you off your feet with dashing romantic gestures, but I don't think there would be any point in hoping for such a thing. Even having you this close is a bit unnerving."

"Don't worry about it," Phoenix assured him. "I don't need any of that stuff. Just promise you're not going to avoid me."

"Yes," mumbled Edgeworth." Of course. I'll do my best."

Phoenix nodded, then squeezed Edgeworth's hand and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

Edgeworth's hands, however, were still shaking, and when Phoenix tried to kiss him, Edgeworth's lips were cold and they barely responded to the contact.

"I'm sorry," murmured Edgeworth, as Phoenix pulled away. "I'm…not at my best, at the moment. Honestly, Wright, I'm terrified."

"No," insisted Phoenix, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck and trying to laugh that one off. "It's, uh, fine, really. I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't the right time."

Unexpectedly, Edgeworth gave Phoenix a small, tight-lipped smile.

"I do appreciate you trying to comfort me," he said quietly." This is…incredibly embarrassing. You seem to see only my weakest, most shameful moments these days. First that unfortunate episode in the airplane, and now this. I'm surprised you still have any interest in me, a fool who still cowers before his childhood fears."

"You're not a fool," countered Phoenix. "Everybody's afraid of something."

"Really?" Edgeworth's raised an eyebrow at Phoenix. "Then, if I may ask, what are you, the famous, fearless Mr. Phoenix Wright, afraid of?"

"Me?" Phoenix frowned "What am I afraid of, huh?"

A series of images rose up in the back of his mind; pieces of the past that had stuck with him for years, and probably always would. He remembered the way Mia's body had looked as it lay cooling, slumped against the office wall. He imagined Maya, huddled alone somewhere in the dark, terrified and waiting for someone to save her. He pictured Trucy as a little girl, sitting up in bed behind a locked door, crying as quietly as she could so that her new 'Daddy' wouldn't hear how lonely she was. Through it all, Phoenix could see red-headed, beautiful Dahlia Hawthorne smiling malevolently, could hear her cackling at him from somewhere far beyond the grave.

Shivering and swallowing hard, Phoenix firmly shut out the memories and the sounds of laughter, then shook his head.

"I'm afraid of a lot of things," he admitted. "Like you said, Miles…some demons can't be exorcised. We're human beings. We feel things, and we shouldn't have to be ashamed of it."

Edgeworth made a noncommittal sort of sound in his throat.

"What's important," Phoenix went on, "is that we still get up every morning and do our jobs; we don't let our fears keep us from making a difference in the world. You've been coping with trauma for a long time…and now, despite every setback, you're the Chief Prosecutor of one of the most populated districts in this state. You're an incredibly brave, powerful person. I admire you for that…and I always have."

Edgeworth looked startled.

"I…I'm not sure I deserve such praise," he began, but before he had a chance to finish the thought, the elevator doors suddenly slid open.

"Oh thank god," whispered Phoenix, getting hurriedly to his feet as Edgeworth jumped up behind him. "You finally came. We were starting to get a little nervous in here, uh-!"

It was only then that Phoenix looked up into the eyes of his savior.

"Edgy-poo!" Wendy Oldbag beamed horribly at Edgeworth, completely ignoring Phoenix. "So THERE you are! I've been looking all over for you! It's been so long since our last fated meeting; there's so MUCH for us to talk about!"

_Oh no, _thought Phoenix desperately. _Not her. ANYONE but her!_

Edgeworth stood frozen for a moment like a deer caught in headlights. He took a quick look over his shoulder at Phoenix, then stared up into Ms. Oldbag's twinkling eyes, and made a split-second decision.

"I-if you'll excuse me, Ms. Oldbag," he muttered. "Wright...I'll see you later."

Then, without a backward glance, he bolted from the elevator and took off around the corner towards the stairwell as fast as he could run.

"Edgy-poo! Come back!" Oldbag sighed huffily as she watched him go. "Not again."

_Oh well, _thought Phoenix as Oldbag started off after Edgeworth. _It's true…there are times when it's best to face your fears and keep going, even if you're scared and traumatized. Then…there are other times when it's probably better just to run away. This is probably one of those latter times. _

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

I wanted to explore here, a bit about the concepts of fear and trauma. I've displayed a lot of Edgeworth's weaknesses in this story, but I think it's important that we recognize that some of those same things that we look at as 'weaknesses' are also strengths.

I work with children, and unfortunately some of the things that happen to you during childhood really do stick with you for the rest of your life, even if you have a happy, healthy adulthood full of success. Edgeworth will probably be facing those things forever…and there's something incredibly brave about that. Phoenix, it seems, has noticed.

Anyway, we won't be dealing much more with Edgeworth's traumas and fears in this story.

I also managed to include two of the characters you asked for in this chapter; Ema Skye, and Wendy Oldbag.

Are there any other characters you'd like me to include? We still have a few more chapters before the main plot picks back up again!


	25. Chapter Twenty Five

**Author's Note: **In a few chapters, we're going to move into an actual case, and so in preparation for that I'm playing through some of the games again to remind myself just exactly how the case mechanics work.

While I occupy myself with that, and with learning the lines in Act II of Julius Caesar, here is more Narumitsu fluff.

**WARNING: **Don't get used to it. I make no pretenses about how this story's going to end, and if you're expecting a happy, fairytale ending, you may be in for an unpleasant shock.

You have been warned.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**March 26, 2029**

**3:00 AM**

**Themis Legal Academy**

"Hurry up, boss!" Athena grabbed on to Phoenix's arm and propelled him forcefully through the empty halls of the prestigious private law school. "We're already late enough, and we don't want to miss the big assembly!"

_Don't we? _Phoenix sighed, but still stepped up the pace. _I never thought I would voluntarily go back to high school…again,_ he thought._ Mind you, my high school wasn't anything like this fancy place. At least it looks like they're still going strong here, even after the conviction of Professor Means. One can only hope that they're teaching real law here, now, and not just underhanded trial tactics and Machiavellian-style ethics. _

Athena sighed reminiscently. "This place looks pretty much the same as it did when we worked on that case a while back! I kind of miss those days, Mr. Wright. The very first days of my legal career! It feels like such a long time ago, now."

"You're twenty," Phoenix reminded her flatly. "You're first cases were a couple of years ago. It's a little early in your career to be reminiscing about the old days."

Athena made a face at him, but Phoenix ignored her.

_Now me, on the other hand, _he thought sadly. _The beginning of my career really WAS a long time ago. More than ten years ago, actually. Ah, the days of my youth…like the scent of fresh lemon. Wait…wait, HOLD IT. What am I saying? My youth didn't smell anything like lemon! What does that even mean? _

"Oh," hissed Athena, stopping short outside of the big lecture hall and jerking Phoenix to a halt along side her. "Here we are! This is it, Mr. Wright! Are you ready for your big surprise?"

"Surprise, huh?" Phoenix frowned. "Um…honestly, Athena, I've never much liked surprises. Why are we here again, exactly? I thought I was done sitting through school assemblies years ago."

"Suck it up, boss," Athena suggested." Trust me, you're going to LOVE this. I'm getting excited just thinking about it! Come on, let's go."

She pulled him inside, and together they made their way to the back row of seats, where they settled in as inconspicuously as they could to watch the assembly. All around them, uniformed Themis Academy students sat either attentively watching or gossiping in hushed voices, while a small, severe-looking man with long dark hair stood at a podium at the front of the room, apparently in the midst of a speech.

"Thena!" In the seat next to Athena's, a girl in a yellow dress with long, dark braids turned and smiled at them both. "You made it! I'm so happy!"

Athena winked at her. "Just barely, Junie! Mr. Wright insisted on cleaning all the office bathrooms this morning, for some reason. I was sure we were going to be too late for the big reveal!"

_What the heck is this 'big reveal' she keeps going on about? _Phoenix rubbed wearily at his temples, and yawned. _I don't even know what I'm doing here. Today was supposed to be a quiet, low-key day at the office, filing old investigation reports and tidying things up. Then all of a sudden Athena rushes in and insists that we absolutely HAVE to go to the end-of-class closing assembly at Themis Academy, because 'something wonderful is going to happen.' Why do I have a really bad feeling about this? _

The little man behind the podium coughed peremptorily and gazed pointedly around at the students, most of whom fell guiltily silent again.

For some reason, the professor, or whoever he was suddenly reminded Phoenix of Edgeworth, and Phoenix smiled.

"And now," the little man was saying, "without any further ado, it is my great pleasure and privilege to present to you, students and faculty alike, Ms. Adrian Andrews, to say a few words on behalf of the von Karma Estate Foundation."

There was another smatter of whispers among the students and a burst of unenthusiastic applause as an attractive blond woman with a very professional bearing made her way swiftly to the center of the room, and cleared her throat.

_Ms. Andrews is here? _Phoenix was surprised. _Wow, I haven't seen her in years. She looks good…and apparently she's working for the von Karmas? Well…isn't there only one von Karma, nowadays? _

Out of the corner of his eye, Phoenix thought he glimpsed a familiar head of hair, and turned to see the striking, austere profile of Franziska von Karma, sitting with her arms crossed in the back row only a few feet away from him.

_Yep, _he thought. _There she is, the princess of prosecution herself. Um…she doesn't look happy at all. And…hey, wait, Miles is here, too?_

Beside Franziska, Edgeworth was looking far more relaxed, watching Adrian Andrews at the podium with an approving sort of half-smile on his face.

_Okay, _decided Phoenix. _Now I'm REALLY confused._

Ms. Andrews nodded and smiled at the harassed-looking little professor.

"Thank you so much for having me here today," she said. "As you are all no doubt already aware, the von Karma foundation is an international organization devoted to the cause of justice everywhere, and the rights of every human being across the globe to representation and a fair trial."

"Wow, Mr. Wright." Athena beamed enthusiastically at Ms. Andrews. "What a great organization!"

Phoenix just stared.

_Okay, _he thought. _Now I've heard it all. The names of 'von Karma' and the words 'fair trial' have probably never been used before in the same sentence. Miles, what exactly are you trying to pull? _

"It is with that worthy goal in mind," continued Ms. Andrews, "that the von Karma foundation has decided to contribute 10,000 dollars annually to fund a scholarship for financially struggling students who have both the drive and the potential to attend Themis Legal Academy, in hopes that we can further the careers of young people who are as devoted to the cause of justice as we are. The 'Perdita Grayson-Wright Legal Scholarship,' is to be awarded each year to one appropriately qualified student who performs the best in the application mock-trial, and submits an effective essay on why he or she is interested in entering the legal profession. Let's make this world a better place together, where fairness and justice can thrive."

Andrews wasn't much of a public speaker, and she said that last potentially inspiring line as though she was reading it from a textbook. That didn't seem to bother the students, who were now all staring wide-eyed at one another and whispering even more excitedly than before.

"Aw, man," mumbled a student in the seat just in front of Phoenix." How come there wasn't a scholarship like that last year? I bet I could have written a real killer essay, and then Dad wouldn't have had to sell the car, and his miniature collection, or rent out the back porch to that shady guy from down the street!"

"Well, boss?" Athena grinned at him. "What did I tell you? Isn't this the best surprise?"

"Are you happy, Mr. Wright?" Juniper was watching him expectantly. "Ms. Wright was your grandmother, wasn't she? Was she a defense attorney too?"

Phoenix didn't say anything. He wasn't even really listening. Instead, he was staring at Edgeworth and Franziska.

Franziska was still glowering at the podium, pursing her lips with obvious distaste, her eyes flashing and her fingers clenching and unclenching around the handle of her whip.

Edgeworth, however, was still smiling.

As Ms. Andrews left the stage, Edgeworth turned for just a moment, and met Phoenix's eyes.

_Miles, _thought Phoenix, genuinely stunned.

The next moment, Edgeworth had looked away again, but Phoenix was sure that his smile had broadened just a little bit, and that was a surprise in and of itself.

**Some short time later…**

A little while later, at Blend 127, Athena and Juniper chatted together over a cup of steaming coffee, while Mr. Armando, as usual, had drifted off to the back of the shop and was nowhere to be seen.

At a table in the far corner, Phoenix watched as Edgeworth sipped complacently at his usual favorite Godot blend.

"I…I don't know what to say," mumbled Phoenix confusedly. "I, uh..you didn't have to do that.

"No," agreed Edgeworth, "I didn't. I thought, however, that it would be an effective demonstration of my esteem."

_Some people, _thought Phoenix, _just buy you a box of chocolates or some flowers when they want to say 'be mine.' _

"Uh," Phoenix muttered." Well…thank you, I guess. It, um…it means a lot to me."

Edgeworth just nodded.

"Today," he remarked, "is your grandmother's birthday, is it not?"

"Huh?" Phoenix blinked. "Well, it is, yeah, but…how did you know that?"

Edgeworth shrugged. "Your daughter informed me."

"Trucy." Phoenix sighed. "So, she was in on this, too."

"Not as such" replied Edgeworth. "She only answered a question that I put to her."

Setting his cup down on the table, Edgeworth frowned thoughtfully down at his own hands for a moment, and then looked up into Phoenix's eyes.

"I never knew your grandmother well," he said quietly. "I only met her once or twice at school functions during the one year that we spent together in the fourth grade. I cannot, therefore, say with any certainty that this would please her."

"It's, uh, a little extravagant," mumbled Phoenix. "Actually, I think she'd be suspicious. She'd want to know what your game was."

"You know perfectly well that there isn't any 'game,'" retorted Edgeworth. "When we spoke of your grandmother the other day, you mentioned that she had been a woman who had always encouraged your 'dreams.' It is a shame, of course, that she was not able to witness your first day back in court after re-gaining your badge, and that she was never able to see you recover your own dreams. However, I hope that through this little gesture of mine-!"

"Little," snorted Phoenix. "Uh, I wouldn't exactly-!""

"-this little gesture of mine," repeated Edgeworth firmly, "her legacy will live on in a way that allows other young budding prosecutors and attorneys to follow their own dreams…to regain a future that, due to unfortunate financial circumstances, they had thought to have lost, or were unaware was even a possibility."

Phoenix fell silent at that, and for a moment, neither of them said anything.

"You and I," Edgeworth went on after a thoughtful moment, "both know a great deal about reclaiming our own futures. If it hadn't been for you, I'm afraid there is no doubt that my future, both as a prosecutor and as a man, would have been forever lost."

"Yeah, "agreed Phoenix. "Well…I owe you, too, Miles. I owe you for believing in me when almost no one else did, and for helping me to get my badge back after the rest of the legal world had turned its back on me. I guess that's one thing that we have in common…opposite sides of the courtroom or not."

"Indeed." Edgeworth nodded. "the Dark Age of the Law is now over, Wright, but in the new day that we've created for the legal system, we will need prosecutors and defense attorneys who think as you do; who believe that justice, rather than a mere petty win, is the ultimate goal. I hope that this scholarship, which is your grandmother's legacy and ours will help to further the dreams of such people."

At her table near the front of the shop, Athena let out one of her enthusiastic, carefree laughs. Phoenix glanced over at her and watched as two young legal brilliants, a defense attorney and a would-be judge, shared a cup of coffee and probably a joke at his expense while the light of a bright California day streamed in all around them.

"Yeah," he said quietly, nodding. "Um…thanks, Miles. I think Grammy would have loved this. She would have been really proud…of us both."

Edgeworth smiled thoughtfully into his coffee cup. "I'm glad to hear that."

For another long moment, they drank their coffee in silence. Soon, the spoons above the door began to click, and it opened to reveal a rare mid-afternoon customer. Armando emerged from the back of the shop at the sound of the spoons, and he and the unfamiliar customer talked about coffee in low voices while Phoenix embraced how warm he was suddenly feeling inside.

"Oh, hey, um, actually," he said, remembering something all of a sudden, "I wanted to ask you about Franziska."

"Franziska?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow." What about her?"

"How exactly did you get her to go along with this?" Phoenix grimaced. "I'm pretty sure she hates me. I'm amazed that she was willing to donate money from her father's estate to a scholarship named after anyone called 'Wright.'"

Edgeworth snorted a laugh. "Admittedly, it wasn't easy to convince her," he replied. "In the end, I won her over with the argument that if we were to allow the race of bright young defense attorneys to die out altogether, she would soon run out of worthy opponents, and would probably get subsequently bored."

"Oh." Phoenix wasn't sure how to feel about that. "I, uh, see. Well, thank her for me…I guess."

Edgeworth nodded. "At the same time," he went on, "she has a bit more money at the moment than she has any use for. Manfred von Karma was an incredibly wealthy man, and Franziska, although extravagant in her own way, lives a rather Spartan lifestyle in comparison with that of her father. She is not a frivolous woman, and doesn't typically indulge. She has also, as I understand, recently become engaged to a woman who has been incredibly financially successfully in her own right due to a series of very shrewd business maneuvers. Subsequently, Franziska is hardly inconvenienced by the loss of a few thousand dollars."

Phoenix blinked. "Wait, hold it! Your sister's getting married? And…to a woman?"

Edgeworth shrugged. "You can't imagine that I'd have any objection. That would be ludicrously hypocritical, even for me."

"Well, of course, but…" Phoenix trailed off and bit his lip in thought.

_It's just, _he admitted to himself, _that I can't imagine Manfred von Karma being too happy about his daughter marrying a woman. Then again, maybe he wouldn't have cared. Maybe he would have just been thrilled that she was getting married at all. She's hardly the warm and fuzzy type. _

"Well, in that case," said Phoenix, "um, congratulations to Franziska. I…hope they're very happy together."

Edgeworth inclined his head graciously over his coffee.

"I'll make sure to pass the message along," he told Phoenix.

_Right, _thought Phoenix. _You do that. I'm sure she'll be just THRILLED to get it._

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

So, I think we can all guess who Franziska is marrying, yes?

Would you guys like to see the wedding? It's not really a part of the plot, but if it's something you'd be interested in, I'm sure I can find a way to include it. Might even be fun.

Of course, either way well see Franziska again later. She still has some part to play in this story.

So do several other of our favorite characters…but for now, speaking of parts, I've got a part to learn for this play. See you guys another day!


	26. Chapter Twenty Six

**Author's Note: **So, there I was, on the treadmill, minding my own business, when all of a sudden – BAM! Suddenly, inspiration struck!

Let's have a little more Adrian Andrews, shall we? I think this will help clear up a little matter of character motivation, here. Plus, you guys like Adrian, right? I know some of you do.

This is really a follow-up episode to the previous chapter. It's going to be a short chapter, but I think it's an important one.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**March 28, 2029**

**2:00 PM**

**Blend 107**

A couple of days after Edgeworth's surprise scholarship dedication, Phoenix invited Ms. Adrian Andrews for coffee at Blend 107.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Wright," she said, sipping daintily at her coffee and smiling a little to herself. "I'm delighted you invited me out, today. I was hoping I'd have a chance to see you before I left…just to see how you were doing ,really. I hear that your life has been an exciting one, over the past few years."

"No kidding," sighed Phoenix. "Hopefully, though, most of the excitement is in the past, now. I'm ready for a few years of being a normal, every -day defense attorney."

"But you're not a normal, every-day defense attorney," countered Adrian placidly. "You're someone very special. You do things for your clients that I don't think any other attorney would…and because of that, your life will probably always be exciting. It's like that when you care so much."

_You sound just like Edgeworth, _thought Phoenix. _He said something just like that the other day._

"Uh, well, based on what Miles told me," he went on, "I think there are some congratulations in order."

Uncharacteristically, Adrian flushed pink.

"Thank you," she murmured. "You're speaking of the wedding, I assume."

Phoenix nodded. "That's right. Um…you and Ms. Von Karma. I confess, I'm impressed. I, uh…didn't think she'd be the type of woman who'd go in for marriage. Her brother always calls her a 'wild mare.'"

Adrian laughed.

"I can see why he says that," she told Phoenix, "but Ms. von Karma's really a very kind and thoughtful woman. She's dependable as well…I can rely on her without concern in any situation. She may come across as wild because of how strong her convictions are. When she feels passionately about something, she'll do absolutely anything to attain her goal…and I'm honored to say she feels passionately about me. I…I'm really quite blessed."

Phoenix smiled to himself. "I'm happy for you."

For a moment, Adrian frowned, then gave Phoenix a hesitant sort of look.

"You're…not surprised or disgusted by the idea of a relationship between two women," she asked, "are you, Mr. Wright?"

"What? Uh, no, not at all," protested Phoenix, shaking his head hastily. "Why would that bother me? As long as the two of you are happy, then I'm happy."

Obviously a little relieved, Adrian smiled again.

"What a nice thing to say," she murmured. "Oh, but…I suppose that was a silly thing for me to ask, wasn't it? Of course, an intimate relationship between two people of the same sex wouldn't bother you. After all, you and Mr. Edgeworth are-!"

"Uh, w-well…" Phoenix quickly cut her off and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about that here. This isn't, uh, the best place for that kind of a conversation."

"Oh. I'm terribly sorry." Adrian looked startled for a moment. "I didn't realize the information wasn't public knowledge…and I certainly didn't mean to betray a confidence."

Phoenix rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. "No, it's no problem. Uh…as a matter of fact, Edgeworth and I aren't exactly…uh…"

_Come to think of it, _wondered Phoenix. _What exactly ARE we? I mean…we're not dating. We're just supposed to be…investigating. I feel like that would sound really strange if I said it out loud, though._

"I see," murmured Adrian, nodding slowly. "I must have made a mistake. Please, forgive me. It was only that Ms. von Karma told me that the two of you were…well, involved."

Phoenix sighed. "We are, well, involved. We're just, um…"

He trailed off and Adrian only raised an expectant eyebrow at him.

"Miles," he said uncomfortably, "isn't quite ready to commit to anything yet. He, uh, says that he thinks prosecutors and defense attorneys are too different to be romantically involved. According to him, we're supposed to be 'enemies,' not lovers."

Adrian kept watching Phoenix with that same calm, vaguely interested look on her face, and now Phoenix could feel himself starting to flush with embarrassment.

"Actually," he mumbled, "I'm not sure why I'm telling you all of this."

Adrian just shrugged. "Sometimes," she said, "when we really want to talk about something, what we need the most is a good, impartial listener. I'm not sure that I'm exactly 'impartial,' Mr. Wright, as I do have some significant ties to the von Karma family, but I do have several free minutes. If you want to talk, I'm more than willing to listen."

She smiled at him in that matter-of-fact, unaffected way of hers, and suddenly, Phoenix realized that he did want to tell her all about it, if only because h e needed a chance to say the words out loud.

"Okay," he muttered" Um…well, if you really don't mind…and if you promise you're not going to take it to the tabloids.."

"I'm incredibly discreet," Adrian assured him. "But, then, you already knew that, Mr. Wright."

So, Phoenix told her. He told her all about his accidental drunken comment to Edgeworth on the Valentine's weekend drive. He told her about the confession they'd shared the next morning, and about how Edgeworth had protested that he'd realized recently that prosecutors and defense attorneys were more dissimilar than he'd ever realized before.

"Honestly, I don't get it," he said, running both hands through his hair in frustration. "It just doesn't make sense. For years, Edgeworth was the one who kept reassuring me that prosecutors and defense attorneys were both on the side of justice. Back when you and I first, uh, met, Edgeworth used to give me lectures on the importance of teamwork in the courtroom. We worked together to solve the Engarde case…and he was the one who instigated that partnership. Why, after all this time, is he suddenly having doubts about everything? It's not like him at all."

"Hmm," murmured Adrian, thoughtfully stirring her coffee with a straw. "I'm not so sure that it doesn't make sense, actually. As a matter of fact, I think I can understand exactly how Mr. Edgeworth feels."

"Huh?" Phoenix blinked. "You can?"

"I believe so." Adrian nodded. "You see…I think Mr. Edgeworth cares about you very deeply, maybe even more deeply than you realized. In a way, the two of you have always been interconnected. You became a defense attorney because of something he did for you, many years ago. He decided to continue being a prosecutor after you saved his life and showed him that there was still hope. You've really given each other something to live for, and when you have someone that special in your life, that person means everything. With them, the world is a wonderful place, but without them…you feel as though you're lost in the darkness, and like there won't ever be a way out, no matter how hard you try to find the light."

Phoenix frowned to himself, thinking about Celeste Inpax, Adrian's old mentor, for whose sake she'd tried to commit suicide many years ago.

"It's a kind of co-dependency, true," she was saying thoughtfully, perhaps more to herself now than to Phoenix. "But it's also love. Those two things go hand-in-hand, and the older I get, the more I realize that there's nothing shameful about it."

"I…see," mumbled Phoenix.

"When you lost your badge in that horrible trial ten years ago," Adrian continued, "all Mr. Edgeworth wanted was to help you. He wanted to save you, to defend you, to be someone that you could rely on. When he discovered that he couldn't do that, he felt useless and confused. He'd lived so much of his life for you already that when he couldn't be there for you in your time of need, things just stopped making sense. He must have been lost in that same darkness that once tried to swallow me. I'm sure it was terrible, being lost in that darkness for ten whole years, doubting everything that he'd come to know…feeling stranded and helpless."

She shivered a little, then took a deep breath and shook off the bad memory, straightening herself up in her chair.

"I apologize," she said crisply. "I seem to be getting a bit carried away. Still, what I said is true. I think that's how Mr. Edgeworth must have felt…and maybe he still feels that way."

Phoenix thought of the miserable, lost look that had been on Edgeworth's face while they'd sat in his office together, under his father's portrait, and while Edgeworth had tried explaining why a love could never work between them.

"I…guess I've never really thought of it that way before," mumbled Phoenix, a bit stunned. "Poor Miles. And it's all my fault, huh?"

Adrian swiftly shook her head.

"That kind of attitude won't get you anywhere," she informed him. "It's neither your fault nor his fault. When you get as devoted to someone as you and Mr. Edgeworth are to each other, damage is unfortunately inevitable. The best thing you can do for him now is to reassure him that nothing is broken. Be someone that he can depend on…because he wants to depend on you. He needs to depend on you, even if he doesn't realize it. He won't feel whole again until he knows that you need him…but if you can give him that, you can be the light in his darkness, and maybe everything will work out all right."

She paused to take a sip of her coffee, while Phoenix just stared at the tabletop, lost in thought.

"It sure doesn't sound healthy, the way you put it," he muttered.

Adrian shrugged. "Maybe it isn't, but that's not the point, really. You want to be with him, don't you?"

Phoenix nodded "Yeah. I really do."

"Then," Adrian informed him, "you'll have to embrace who he is…healthy or unhealthy."

"Right," agreed Phoenix quietly. "Yeah…I can see that. And I do. I mean…I want him for who he is. I can do that."

Taking a deep breath, he tried to shake off the gloom that had suddenly crept its way into the room. Draining his coffee in one gulp, he put the cup back down on the table and gave Adrian a wry smile.

"Wow," he said. "Ms. Andrews, I had no idea you were such a romance maven."

Adrian gave him a stern look. "Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Wright. It's just that…people like us, who feel very strongly and deeply about others understand what it means to have our hearts broken."

Long after Adrian and Franziska had boarded their plane back to Germany, Phoenix could still hear those words echoing in the back of his mind.

_I'm sorry, Miles, _he thought to himself. _I promise, I won't let it happen again. _

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

Well, I have feelings about that chapter, but I would really like to hear yours.


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven

**Author's Note: **Taking a brief break from studying lines to see if I can get another chapter out today.

I've changed direction with this story just a little bit, based on your recommendations, and I think I like where we're going now. I wasn't originally planning on including this whole Adrian/Franziska episode, but it's opened up a lot of avenues that I hadn't previously considered.

Thanks to my readers for all of your creative help!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**April 30, 2029**

**12:00 PM**

**The Gatewater Hotel Chapel**

"I have to admit," remarked Phoenix as he, Maya and Pearl sat in the front pew of the attractive little hotel chapel, "I was sort of expecting something a little…I don't know, fancier? More impressive? I figured Franziska von Karma of the notoriously wealthy von Karmas would have wanted to have her wedding in a German castle, or something."

Maya frowned. "Does Germany have a lot of castles?"

_I have no idea, _thought Phoenix, shrugging. _Anyway, that's not really the point. Castle or not, whoever fixed this place up really did a nice job. I'd expected the Gatewater chapel to be gaudy and over-done, but someone clearly spent some time re-decorating. The little red flowers and white candles are giving off a very 'simplistic but elegant' vibe. If I had to guess, I'd say that Adrian Andrews probably had a long, very specific conversation with the hotel about what she wanted for her wedding. Then again, maybe she just came in and did all the re-decoration herself. It's the kind of thing she'd probably do. _

"Maybe Ms. von Karma just wanted to make sure that all of her American friends could come," suggested Pearl thoughtfully. "After all, Mr. Nick, plane tickets to Germany are awfully expensive."

Phoenix frowned. "Somehow," he said, "I don't think Ms. Von Karma has too many 'friends' in any country. She's, uh…not exactly the warm and cuddly type."

"Neither are you, Nick," retorted Maya, "but you still have us."

_Hey, don't compare me to Franziska, _thought Phoenix. _Compared to her, I'm like a big, fuzzy teddy bear. I'm plenty friendly! At least you never have to worry about me probably carrying a whip in my bag. Then again…I bet people don't try to make Franziska von Karma pick up the check at the burger joint nearly as often. Maybe I should consider the whip._

"Don't worry, Nick," Maya assured him. "Pearly and I still love you, even though you're a miserable old curmudgeon. It's part of your charm."

"I'm not old," muttered Phoenix. "And I wasn't miserable until we started having this conversation."

Pearl was frowning to herself, chewing thoughtfully on her lip.

"Um, I am a little surprised, though," she admitted. "Actually…I didn't think Ms. Von Karma would want Mr. Nick at her wedding. She, um…she doesn't seem to like him very much."

_We have a complicated relationship, _thought Phoenix.

"Oh, she didn't invite us," Maya informed Pearl. "Actually, Ms. Andrews was the one who insisted that we come today. I think Ms. Andrews is pretty much planning and organizing the whole thing, so either Ms. von Karma didn't feel like arguing with her, or she never even realized we were on the guest list."

Pearl sighed happily to herself.

"Love is so beautiful," she said, beaming at Phoenix. "If Ms. Andrews really wants you to be here, then I bet Ms. Von Karma will even be willing to put aside her feelings about you, Mr. Nick, just to make to woman she loves happy!"

"I'm…really not so sure about that," mumbled Phoenix. "Let's just hope that she doesn't have her whip hidden somewhere in her wedding dress, or this might end up being a really long, achy day for me."

Maya gave him a sympathetic little pat on the shoulder as the wedding march began to play. Phoenix, Maya, Pearl, and all the rest of the guests swiveled around in their pews to watch as a tall, graying gentleman with thinning hair and an uncertain sort of smile on his face led the bride in through the back of the chapel.

_Wow, _thought Phoenix, genuinely impressed.

Adrian Andrews had always been an attractive woman, but in her simple, floor-length glistening white wedding dress she looked absolutely stunning. Her blond hair was done up neatly against the back of her head, and she was carrying a bouquet of those same, tiny red flowers in her white-gloved hands.

"Oh Nick," breathed Maya, her eyes wide, "she's…she's beautiful."

Pearl clapped her hands together with delight, beaming all over her face.

As Adrian and her father processed up the aisle, Phoenix turned around again to see that Franziska had snuck in from the side door, and was now standing alongside an uncomfortable-looking priest at the front of the room. Not surprisingly, she had chosen some slightly less conventional wedding attire. Instead of a white wedding dress, Franziska was wearing an extravagant black-and-white tuxedo-style gown, complete with a bustle in the back and an elaborate collar which opened downward to reveal an extremely daring, low-v neckline.

"Oh," said Pearl. "Um, I've never seen Ms. von Karma in a dress before. She looks…nice."

_Good old Pearl, _thought Phoenix, smiling to himself. _She __can find something sweet to say about anyone._

Phoenix, however, wasn't really paying much attention to Franziska, or to her dress. Instead, he had his eyes fixed on the man behind her; a man dressed in a classic black tuxedo and tails with just a hint of extra frill around the collar and cuffs.

_Miles, _he thought, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the now familiar way that his heart picked up the pace in his chest. _He really DOES look good in a tuxedo. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He's been doing the formal-wear thing for years. I always end up looking awkward in my suit, like I'm all arms and legs, but not Edgeworth. He's…uh, well, he's just a great-looking guy, I guess. He has really nice arms…and eyes. _

Sighing a little to himself, he turned away from Edgeworth and came face to face with Maya, who was grinning knowingly at him.

"Awww," she teased. "You two are adorable. You should see the look on your face, Nick. You're all 'starry eyed,' and everything."

"I…I am not," mumbled Phoenix uncomfortably, running his hands through his hair and trying not to meet Pearl's suddenly curious eyes. "What does 'starry eyed' even mean, anyway?"

"Oh, you know," Maya told him. "You look like you're in-!"

"Mystic Maya, Mr. Nick," hissed Pearl suddenly. "Look, it's starting!"

The music had stopped, and the priest now seemed to be doing his best to get a hold of himself, although he kept sort of shying away from Franziska as though being too close to her made him nervous.

Adrian and her father had made their way all the way to the front of the church, and as Phoenix watched, Adrian's father gently took her by the hand and led her over to Franziska.

Without a word, Franziska reached out, took Adrian's hand, and brought it to her own lips. There was an instant, appreciative murmur from the audience, as Adrian flushed pink, and Pearl sighed dreamily.

"Ahem," began the priest, as Franziska laid a possessive hand on Adrian's forearm. "We are gathered here today…"

As the priest droned on, Edgeworth stood silently behind Franziska, watching attentively as the woman who'd grown up as his sister devoted herself to a brand new, married life.

**Some short time later, in the Gatewater hotel ballroom…**

The band that played during the reception was a lot better and more talented than the Gatewater's usual fare.

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix, as he watched Maya whizzing and whirling around the room with an awkwardly grinning Will Powers. _This is a little more like what I expected. This isn't even really a band…it's more like an orchestra. _

Franziska and Adrian seemed to have taken a break from dancing, and were now standing together in front of the wedding cake, greeting their guests and well-wishers. As Phoenix watched, Adrian reached down and took Franziska's hand. For a moment, it looked as though Franziska would pull her hand away, but eventually she relented and allowed Adrian to interlock their fingers. Adrian smiled one of her small, subtle smiles, and even Franziska looked like she was glowing.

_I never thought Franziska could look so happy about anything other than beating a poor, defenseless attorney into a whiplashed pulp, _thought Phoenix. _She just looks so…different. Maybe Adrian was right. Maybe loving someone really does change the way you see the world. _

Glancing around the room, he saw Pearl daintily eating a heart-shaped cookie and chatting with the judge, who looked unexpected and out of place without his black judicial robes. While they were talking, one song ended and another soon began, and Maya broke away from Powers to go and talk to Pearl. Phoenix couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but Maya clearly asked the judge something which surprised him, because his eyes went wide and he suddenly started to laugh. Shaking his head at her, the judge gave Maya and then Pearl a little friendly half-bow, then wandered off towards the buffet table. Maya and Pearl looked as though they were going to follow him, but then Wendy Oldbag appeared out of nowhere in one of the most horrendous pink dresses that Phoenix had ever seen. Catching sight of her heading in their direction, Maya and Pearl hastily changed course and hurried to join Phoenix at the other end of the room.

"Nick!" Maya grabbed both of his hands and started pulling him out onto the dance floor. "Come on, dance with me! You've been making excuses all night, but you're not getting away this time!"

"Uh…" Phoenix sighed. "Yeah, okay. I'm not much of a dancer, though. I'll probably just step on your feet."

Maya shook her head." That's fine," she assured him. "Mr. Powers has already stepped on them so many times that they're mostly numb, so you can be as clumsy as you want! I won't feel a thing!"

Phoenix laughed.

"All right," he said, shrugging. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Have fun, you two!" Pearl smiled and gave them a little wave. "Um…I guess I'll just sit over here for a little while. My feet are sort of tired, so-!"

"Oh no you don't, Pearly!" Before Pearl had a chance to finish her sentence, Maya linked one of her arms through Pearls' and started dragging her away. "You're coming, too! Who says we can't all dance together? We can take turns stepping on Nick's feet. It'll serve him right for bringing two lovely ladies like us to a big fancy party, and then ignoring us all night!"

"I…I wasn't ignoring you," protested Phoenix. "I just don't dance, that's all."

Together, the three of them made their way out into the center of the floor and began an awkward sort of three-person waltz that involved a lot of stumbling, tripping, and giggling on all sides, By the time the band had finished the song, Phoenix was flushed and laughing, Maya was grinning with delight and Pearl seemed to have completely forgotten about her sore feet.

"See, Nick?" Maya poked him hard in the ribs. "You need to let yourself have fun a little more often! If it hadn't been for us, you'd probably have stood there in the corner just people-watching the whole time. Who comes to a party to just stare at people? It's not right."

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix. _Maybe you're right, Maya. I guess it's good to have friends. _

"Although," continued Maya thoughtfully, frowning at the buffet table, "I wonder what happened to Mr. Edgeworth. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him in a while. I mean, I guess I haven't exactly been paying attention. Maybe he already left?"

"He was talking to Franziska a few minutes ago," Phoenix informed her. "Miles really isn't much of a party person, so it wouldn't surprise me too much if he ducked out early."

_Then again, _thought Phoenix, _this is his only sister's wedding. Would he really just leave, like that? I'm not sure even Miles Edgeworth could be THAT rude. _

"Um, I think I saw him go out on the terrace," said Pearl, pointing at the door which led outside. "It's hot in here. I guess he wanted some air."

_Or he got tired of being social and snuck off somewhere quiet, _thought Phoenix.

"Nick." Maya pointed a finger directly at his chest. "You need to go find him. He's probably not having fun all by himself."

"Huh?" Phoenix blinked. "But didn't you want to dance?"

Maya shrugged. "Yeah, but I see Detective Gumshoe over there eating cake. I bet he'll dance with us if we ask him…right, Pearls? Anyway, we'll figure out how to amuse ourselves until you get back. Just go make sure Mr. Edgeworth isn't too lonely, okay?"

Phoenix opened his mouth to protest, but Maya had already started off to tackle Gumshoe, with Pearl trailing obediently along at her heels.

_Miles might not want me to go looking for him, _thought Phoenix unhappily. _There are a lot of people around, here, and I know he doesn't want anybody asking questions or jumping to conclusions about us._

For a moment, Phoenix stood uncertainly in the center of the floor, watching the door to the terrace and arguing with himself about whether or not he should go looking for Edgeworth.

_Well, _he reasoned with himself, _if you think about it in a certain way, this is probably a pretty safe place for Miles and I to talk. After all, everyone's much more interested in the brides than they are in what we're up to. Besides, we're friends. We're, uh, colleagues, and we're at a party. Actually, it would probably seem strange if we DIDN'T talk to each other. _

Running his hands uncomfortably through his hair, Phoenix sighed.

_And, _he admitted, _I want to see him. I'm getting tired of this whole 'avoiding each other in public' thing. It's not like half of these people don't already know. Wait…no, that's bad. That's…agh, this is too complicated. I'm not a complicated guy. We used to spend time together in public all the time. Does that really have to change? I'm no good at this...and I'm not even sure I get why we're doing it. _

As Phoenix was waffling and debating with himself, he suddenly heard a voice calling out to him from across the room.

"Mr. Wright! Ah, I thought it was you, my boy! It's been a long time, has it not?"

Phoenix turned around to find red-faced and rotund Mr. Marvin Grossberg bearing down on him.

_Uh oh, _thought Phoenix. _Not exactly somebody I really wanted to see. Once this guy gets talking, there's no stopping him…going on about 'the days of his youth, like the scent of fresh lemon,' and all that._

"It was a lovely ceremony," Grossberg was saying. "Don't you think so? A lovely ceremony, certainly. There was something charmingly old-fashioned about it; not like these overdone, over-hasty modern weddings. It almost reminded me of my own wedding to my beloved late wife. I can see her face even now, bedecked in white lace as she came traipsing down the aisle. Ah, the days of my youth, like the scent of-!"

"Um, I'm really sorry, Mr. Grossberg," muttered Phoenix, taking a few quick steps towards the door. "I don't mean be rude, but I actually, uh, need to do something. S-sorry. Excuse me."

"What?" Grossberg looked a bit put out, but he waved Phoenix away with one dismissive hand. "Ah very well, very well, my boy. Perhaps another time, then."

Relieved, Phoenix shot him an apologetic smile, then hurried over to the door and slipped out onto the terrace.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **This episode is a little long, so we'll see more of the wedding (and Edgeworth) in the next chapter.

In the meantime, I have an unrelated question for you.

I write some original stuff as well, and I've been working on some original romance stories.

Would any of you be interested in reading my original work?

Feel free to say no. I'm not expecting you to actually be interested, but I thought I'd at least ask. You never know until you try, right?

In any case, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight

**Author's Note: **Oh boy, I feel AWFUL. I have been hit with such a whole-body sick. I'm…just gonna sit here and not move until tomorrow morning for work. Until then, I'll try writing some Narumitsu. Maybe that will cheer me up.

Warning: This might be awful. I'm sort of swimming in and out of being totally conscious, right now.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**April 30, 2029**

**6:00 PM**

**The Gatewater Hotel Terrace**

As it turned out, Edgeworth had escaped out onto the terrace. Phoenix spotted him almost immediately, sitting on a cheap little decorative plastic bench and watching the lights dancing through the windows of the hotel ballroom. As Phoenix shut the door quickly behind him, he found that he could still just barely hear the orchestra music, though it was muffled and dull through the closed door.

"Ah," murmured Edgeworth, frowning when he spotted Phoenix. "Wright."

_Yep, _thought Phoenix, crossing over to join him on the plastic bench. _Me. _

Edgeworth didn't register any obvious signs of pleasure as Phoenix approached, but he did scoot over on the bench to make some room.

"Uh…sorry," muttered Phoenix, aware that Edgeworth was watching him expectantly. "I didn't mean to intrude, or anything. I had toe scape from Marvin Grossberg. He cornered me in the ballroom, and he wanted to talk about 'the days of his youth,' and something about his late wife. Honestly…I can't stand the guy."

"Ah," muttered Edgeworth. "You too, then."

"Huh?" Phoenix blinked. "Wait, so you're avoiding Grossberg, too?"

"Not Grossberg," sighed Edgeworth, shaking his head and glowering at the ground between his feet. "That…creature. That woman. The Oldbag."

_Oh, yeah, _thought Phoenix. _That's right. I almost forgot; I saw her trying to talk to Maya and Pearl earlier, too. Actually, I'm kind of surprised that Franziska and Adrian even invited her to this wedding. Why on earth would they want her to come? Then again, Franziska didn't exactly invite me, either._

"I presume," murmured Edgeworth," responding uncannily to Phoenix's thoughts, "that my sister went out of her way to invite Miss Oldbag to her wedding purely to torment me. It would be precisely her brand of malicious trick."

_It must have been fun growing up with Franziska, _reflected Phoenix sympathetically. _Until now, I thought that growing up with Stella was bad. Maybe I had it pretty easy after all._

"Uh, well," said Phoenix, "at least Franziska looks like she's having a good time. Actually…I've never see her looking this happy before. I mean, she hasn't defeated anybody in court, or whipped anybody to within an inch of his poor, miserable, foolish life, and yet she' looks like she's genuinely happy. It's kind of a nice change."

"Yes, I think so, too." For just a moment, Edgeworth smiled. "I'm delighted that she has found someone who has been able to break through that stubborn, difficult veneer of hers. I wasn't certain it was possible, but I've been mercifully proven wrong. I'm very impressed with Ms. Adrian Andrews for a number of reasons."

"It's 'Adrian von Karma' now," Phoenix reminded him.

Edgeworth nodded. "Of course it is. My apologies."

_I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Adrian took Franziska's last name, _mused Phoenix. _Not that there's anything wrong with taking your spouse's name, but I doubt Franziksa would have even considered changing hers. She's a von Karma through and through, and she's proud of it. She's nothing like the monster that her father was but at the same time he's a huge part of the way she's chosen to live her life. She may not be him, and I think we're all grateful for that, but he's an important part of her, even now._

"Miles," asked Phoenix, "do you think von Karma would have been happy to see his daughter getting married like this? I mean…after all, she's happy, she's healthy, and she's finally found someone who really cares about her. Isn't that really what every father wants for his daughter?"

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow and gave Phoenix a wry sort of sarcastic smile.

"You can't be serious, Wright," he muttered. "Manfred von Karma is no doubt rolling in his grave at this very moment. This marriage is the very last thing he would ever want for a daughter of the von Karma name."

"Really?" Phoenix frowned." Why? What's wrong with it? Adrian's a great lady."

"She is, however, a lady," retorted Edgeworth, shaking his head. "Remember that the von Karma creed requires that one always be perfect, both in work and in personal life. Homosexuality is considered highly 'imperfect' in the eyes of the world, and von Karma was nothing if not concerned about his public image. He would have considered Franziska's marriage to another woman to be a deplorable imperfection, and he would have done everything within his power to prevent it."

_Ouch, _thought Phoenix, wincing. _That's…harsh._

"Remember also," Edgeworth went on, wagging a finger at Phoenix, "that Ms. Andrews was a witness for the prosecution during one of the most embarrassing and imperfect trials of Franziska's career...the disastrous trial of Matt Engarde. Franziska lost that trial rather dramatically."

Phoenix shook his head.

"She never even prosecuted that trial," he reminded Edgeworth. "You were the one that ended up in court."

"Exactly," agreed Edgeworth. "Franziska was shot in the shoulder before the trial could even begin. Arguably, she lost that trial by default – by being unable to appear in court in the first place. Her father would have considered her forfeit due to injury nothing less than an acceptance of her own defeat. He would have been disgusted with her…and, at the time, he probably was. If I remember rightly, Manfred von Karma was very much alive at that time. His sentence wasn't carried out until some months later."

"Oh. Uh. Right." Phoenix sighed. "You two had it kind of hard as kids, didn't you?"

Edgeworth ignored that.

"I'll admit that I'm a little surprised," Edgeworth said. "Though she may not have chosen to walk the same path that he did, Franziska still worships the memory of her father in many ways. I hadn't expected her to enter into a marriage that would have been so expressly against her late father's wishes."

Phoenix shrugged. "Oh well," he said. "We can't all lurk in our father's shadows forever. We have to live our own lives eventually. Franziska deserves to be happy, don't you think?"

"I'm afraid," muttered Edgeworth, "that you wouldn't understand, Wright. I mean no disrespect, but you would have no concept of what it was like, growing up in the shadow of a great man. You had no father to set goals for you that you couldn't fulfill. Your grandmother-!"

"Yeah," interrupted Phoenix. "That's right. I didn't have a father. My father walked out on me when I was five years old."

Edgeworth stopped mid-sentence with his mouth still open, then turned and stared at Phoenix.

"What?" He looked startled. "I…don't understand."

"I told you before," said Phoenix. "My father never came back from a trip to the Bahamas when I was a kid. He left me with my grandmother."

"Yes," said Edgeworth slowly. "I was under the impression that your father had passed away during that trip…perhaps in an accident while traveling, or-!"

Phoenix snorted a derisive little laugh. "What? No, it was nothing like that. Dad's probably still alive out there, somewhere. I think Grammy even used to get postcards from him. No, he just decided that he was having so much fun in vacation land that it wasn't worth coming home. He may still be in the Bahamas, being that creepy old guy hanging out on the beaches and leering at girls in bikinis. Or maybe he grew up and learned how to be an adult, and maybe he's a real man, now. I don't know. I haven't seen him since, and I don't plan to."

For a long moment, Edgeworth was silent. Together, he and Phoenix listened to the faint music drifting through the walls of the ballroom.

Eventually, Edgeworth cleared his throat." And…your mother?"

"She went with him," said Phoenix. "Maybe they're still together, maybe they aren't. Anyway, fathers aren't the only ones who can walk out on you."

Edgeworth didn't seem totally sure what to say. "I'm…terribly sorry, Wright," he muttered eventually. "I had no idea."

"Don't be sorry." Phoenix shook his head. "It doesn't bother me, actually. I haven't lost sleep over it in years. Grammy raised us well. We had a happy childhood. I don't have anything to regret, honestly. It's just like I said; we can't live in our father's shadows forever. We have to be our own people, and I knew by the time I'd finished the second grade that I didn't want to be anything like him. I had other role models, other goals, other dreams. There's nothing wrong with being different from the rest of your family, or following your own path. Maybe he knows, and maybe he's proud of me. Maybe he hates me. Maybe he doesn't remember I exist. I don't really care one way or another. I'm me…and I've got enough reasons to be proud of that. Franziska's got plenty of reasons to be proud, too…and so do you, Miles."

Phoenix smiled at Edgeworth, and Edgeworth stared at him for a moment before swallowing hard and shaking his head.

"You are a very unexpected man, Phoenix Wright," mumbled Edgeworth.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," returned Phoenix, grinning. "Oh, and I liked it when you called me 'Phoenix.' Drop the 'Wright,' part, and it's almost like we're friends. Friends use each other's first names, you know. No pressure, I'm just saying."

"Friends," muttered Edgeworth thoughtfully. "I should think that at this point we are…slightly more than friends."

Phoenix's grin broadened. "Hey, you said it, not me. I'm going to hold you to that, Miles."

"P-please do," mumbled Edgeworth, clearing his throat a bit nervously, but keeping his eyes fixed on Phoenix's face.

Phoenix leaned in to kiss him, and for the first time Edgeworth didn't hesitate or put up any kind of resistance. Instead, he took Phoenix's head in his hands and returned the kiss right away, twining his fingers in Phoenix's spiky hair as they lingered over each other's lips.

Eventually, reluctantly, Phoenix broke away and opened his eyes to find that Edgeworth's cheeks were much pinker than before, but that at least he didn't look embarrassed or ashamed.

"You know," teased Phoenix, suddenly feeling much more playful than he had before, "Those are pretty big windows. I'm not so sure that the people in the ballroom can't see us, out here."

He expected Edgeworth to wince and back away from him, but instead Edgeworth only coughed and shrugged.

"Life is full of little risks," mumbled Edgeworth gallantly.

Phoenix laughed.

It was then, while they were grinning stupidly at each other in the moonlight on that creaky plastic bench that Phoenix heard something crash loudly to the floor on the other side of the ballroom door. He and Edgeworth both instantly jumped to their feet.

"What?" Edgeworth stared through the ballroom windows. "What was that?"

"I don't know," said Phoenix. "Probably nothing. Maybe the tuba player fell over. Anyway, let's go check it out."

Together, they hurried back into the ballroom. The orchestra had gone suddenly silent, and no one appeared to be dancing. Instead, every guest was standing still in his or her own little corner of the ballroom, whispering, pointing and staring at a scene taking place next to the table where the cake had been.

The cake, unfortunately, was no more. The table appeared to have caved in, and the remains of the wedding cake were smashed all over the ballroom floor. Adrian was kneeling on the floor with her wedding dress hiked up around her knees, doing her best to clean up the mess. Franziska stood beside Adrian with her hand resting protectively on Adrian's shoulder, angrily facing down an exquisitely beautiful black-haired woman with a voluptuous figure and huge, violet eyes that were now brimming over with tears.

"Fransi," cried the black-haired woman in what sounded to Phoenix like a Borginian accent. "Fransi, why? Why now do you do this thing to me? After all that we have been through together, I had hoped that-!

"Fool," snarled Franziska, cutting the woman off mind-moan. "We have had nothing together. What is this nonsense? It has been eight years since I was bored enough to allow you to distract me from my ennuie with your embraces. There has never been anything of real significance between us. You are disgustingly drunk, and you disgrace both yourself and me with this deplorable scene."

"But, Fransi," begged the woman desperately. "You have always been so special to me, for so many years! Even now, my own, my darling, my-!"

"Begone!" Suddenly, Franziska's whip appeared from somewhere in the folds of her tuxedo-dress.

_Yep, _thought Phoenix. _I had a feeling she was hiding that somewhere. There's no way Franziska von Karma would leave home unprepared…even on her wedding day. No, especially on her wedding day._

"Return to your hotel room and wash your face," snarled Franziska, cracking her whip and then brandishing it at the sobbing woman. "Compose yourself, and when you have reflected, you too shall be embarrassed by what a foolish farce you have made of yourself, fool that you are. Go! Now!"

Again, Franziska cracked her whip, and, after only another moment's hesitation, the dark-haired woman fled out of the ballroom and out into the hallway.

"I apologize," murmured Franziska in a much more gentle but still masterful voice, bending down to take Adrian by the hand and to help her back to he feet. "Leave the cake. The servants will clean it. Are you all right?"

Adrian just nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. What…no, who was that person?"

Franziska shrugged. "An old acquaintance of many, many years ago. We were hardly as close as she would have you believe. Put it from your mind. It means nothing. Perhaps we should have reconsidered the open bar."

She flashed Adrian a dazzlingly confident smile, and, slowly, Adrian smiled back.

"All right," she said." If you say so. I won't worry about it."

"Excellent." Franziska nodded, then suddenly spun around and pointed a von Karma finger directly at the orchestra conductor.

"Play," she ordered him. "The foolishness is over."

Hurriedly, the conductor lifted his baton, and the orchestra again began to play.

As Franziska glared around at the guests, still holding her whip at the ready, many people began rushing back on to the dance floor. At the same time, several of the hotel staff scurried over and began quickly cleaning up the cake.

Phoenix just stared.

"Uh…whoa," he muttered. "What the heck was that all about?"

Edgeworth just shook his head and sighed, running a weary hand through his hair.

"Quite honestly, Wright,' he said, "I have absolutely no idea."

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note; **

Hey guys! I've finally re-booted my website, Arimoriarty . com.

If you're interested in checking out my tumblr, or any of my original writing, you can find it there!

I'll be honest, I only have the beginnings of one of my stories posted at the moment. I'll do my best to get some of my other stories posted as soon as possible, when I next have a chance. Thanks for your interest!


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine

**Author's Note: **I'm baaaack! I just finished a very successful run of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," and now I finally have time to write again. I'm terribly sorry for the long, long wait between chapters, and I'll do my best to make it up to you now. Thank you for being so patient with me.

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**Chapter Twenty Nine**

**May 1, 2029**

**4:00 AM**

**The Wright Family Apartment**

Phoenix woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of his phone ringing. Scrabbling underneath his pillow, he grabbed it and held it to his ear.

"Uh…y-yeah," he mumbled groggily into the receiver. "Yeah, hello?"

"Wright," demanded a familiar voice on the other end of the line. "Forgive me. Did I wake you?"

_Miles? _Phoenix flicked on the bedside lamp, then blinked and rubbed at his eyes, struggling to get accustomed to the light. _Well, yeah, of course you did. It's four o'clock in the morning…_

"Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "What's up? What's going on?"

"Ah, well…" For some reason, Edgeworth hesitated. "If you don't mind, Wright, this might be a conversation better held in the privacy of your apartment."

"What?" Phoenix frowned. "I am in my apartment. Where'd you think I was?"

"Indeed," agreed Edgeworth, "but I, on the other hand, am standing in the hallway outside your apartment door. Hardly the best place for a private conversation. May we come in?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure." Jumping to his feet, Phoenix hurried out of his bedroom, and across the apartment to the door, passing by the snoring form of Maya Fey, asleep on the couch as he went.

_Wait, _he wondered, as he fumbled with the lock, _We? Who's 'we?"_

He didn't have to wonder for long. When Phoenix opened the apartment door, he found Edgeworth standing there, with huge dark circles under his eyes, but otherwise far too kempt and put-together for the wee hours of the morning. Beside him stood a furious looking Franziska von Karma, resting one hand protectively on the shoulder of a very quiet but obviously nervous Adrian Andrews.

"Wright," began Edgeworth. "My apologies. I-! Er…ahem." He stopped suddenly mid-sentence, his eyes widening slightly. Then he coughed and glanced down at the carpet.

"What?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Miles, what's wrong with you?"

"Hmph," muttered Franziska, shooting a disapproving, vaguely disgusted look at Phoenix's chest. "I would have thought that even you, Mr. Phoenix Wright, would have had the common decency to put on some clothes before greeting visitors."

"Oh my," murmured Adrian.

_Oh, _thought Phoenix, his heart sinking as he glanced down at his own bare chest, and at the slightly strained pair of faded red Ivy U sweatpants he'd worn to bed the night before.

"Gah," he muttered, feeling his face start to heat up as he took a hurried step back into the safety of his apartment. "Well, I mean…come on, it's…it's the middle of the night. I, uh…wh-what did you expect?"

Edgeworth coughed pointedly, still not looking at Phoenix, his own cheeks much pinker than they were before.

"Erm," he suggested, "if you don't mind, we'll wait in the living room while you…compose yourself."

Phoenix didn't need to be asked twice. Turning on his heel, he made a mad dash for the bedroom, where he quickly collected a few clothes and got dressed before returning to join the others.

When he got back to the living room, Maya was sitting up on the sofa, rubbing at her eyes and staring confusedly around at Edgeworth, Franziska and Adrian.

"Mr. Edgeworth? Ms. Von Karma?" Maya frowned. "Nick, what's going on? Are we having a party?"

"I don't think so, Maya," said Phoenix, sitting down beside her on the sofa. "Well, Miles? I'm guessing you wouldn't be here in the middle of the night if there wasn't some kind of an emergency. What happened?"

Edgeworth just nodded. "I'm afraid you're absolutely right. This is hardly a social call. A murder was discovered about an hour ago in a seventh-floor room at the Gatewater hotel. One of the other guests called down to the night concierge, claiming that he'd heard screams and the slamming of doors from the room next door. When the night concierge arrived at the room in question, he found the body of one Bella Loggia lying dead in on the floor beside the bed. The body was covered in thin, bloody gashes, and, according to the concierge's testimony, there was a whip wrapped around the victim's neck."

"Oh no," mumbled Phoenix. "I, uh, think I can guess where this is going."

Edgeworth nodded. "No doubt. The police were called in immediately, and initial investigation revealed that death was due to strangulation by that very same whip."

"Tch," hissed Franziska, glaring at Edgeworth and crossing both arms over her chest. "I should never have allowed it out of my sight. I frequently keep it with me at night, in case of emergencies. Last night I was…otherwise occupied, and I left it hanging in the closet by the door. Foolish of me. If I'd followed my usual procedure, none of this would have happened."

_Wait, you sleep with your whip? _Phoenix sighed. _No, nevermind. I'm honestly not that surprised. Of course you do. _

"So," he said aloud, "then it was your whip, Ms. Von Karma, that was used as the murder weapon?"

Edgeworth nodded. "It seems that way, certainly. And Ms. Bella Loggia-!"

"Don't tell me," interrupted Phoenix, "I can guess. Loggia…she was the woman who crashed the wedding last night, right? The dark-haired lady with the unusual accent."

Edgeworth gave Phoenix an approving look. "You're quite sharp, Wright, considering its four in the morning."

_I don't know, _thought Phoenix. _Maybe I was expecting something like this. Somehow, I just knew that woman was going to end up being trouble. _

"For whatever reason," Edgeworth continued, "no arrest has yet been made. Detective Gumshoe is likely putting it off as long as possible and dragging his heels for my sake. However, I have little doubt that the police will soon come for Franziska. I understand that there is some other incriminating evidence as well that will undoubtedly make its appearance at the trial. Detective Gumshoe has assured me that he will provide me with a thorough investigation report as soon as possible."

"Right, of course there's more incriminating evidence." Phoenix yawned. "Figures. Yep…well, this definitely counts as an emergency. Ms. Von Karma." Turning to Franziska, he took a deep breath, and tried not to let the anger in her eyes intimidate him too much. "I know this isn't the ideal situation for either of us, but I think we both know why Miles brought you here. We've had our differences in the past, but right now it's not looking so good for you, so I think it makes sense for us to try burying the hatchet."

Edgeworth breathed out a little sigh of relief. "Thank you, Phoenix. I…you have my sincerest gratitude."

Distracted by the task at hand, Phoenix only barely registered that Edgeworth had again called him by his first name.

"Franziska von Karma," continued Phoenix, as formally and carefully as he could. "Do I have your permission to take this case?"

Franziska opened her mouth to respond, but Phoenix cut her off before she could say a word.

"I'm really just asking for courtesy's sake," he said. "One way or another, I'm going to be defending you in court tomorrow. Whether you like it or not, I'm the closest thing you have to an ally right now, and I'm a lot more competent than any attorney the state would gave you. If you'd rather, I can ask Athena to do it, although I think she might be busy right now with another trial. Still, if you don't think you can trust me, then-!"

"Phoenix Wright," interrupted Franziska crisply. "Charming as is this little speech of yours, I'm afraid my defense will be far more complicated than you realize. I am, of course, all too familiar with your courtroom strategies. Your favorite, foolish little game is to attempt to clear your client's name by pinning the guilt on the next most likely suspect. You've garnered quite a reputation for yourself by playing that jade's trick and over and over again. Unfortunately, in this particular case, that won't be possible."

Phoenix stared. "What? Why?"

"Because," insisted Franziska "the next most likely suspect in this case is perfectly and completely innocent of Bella's murder. I forbid you to bore her with your far-fetched accusations, and if you even consider attempting to fasten this murder on her, there will be…consequences."

Franziska no longer had her whip in her belt, but obviously she didn't really need it. The menacing look in her eye was terrifying enough. Phoenix gulped.

Adrian laughed a nervous, mirthless little laugh.

"Don't worry, Franziska," she said, obviously doing her best to be stoic and brave. "It wouldn't be the first time that Mr. Wright has accused me of murder in the courtroom. If that's what needs to happen in order to make sure that you're acquitted, then-!"

"Nonsense!" Franziska banged her hand down on the coffee table, making both Maya and Phoenix jump. "Don't be ridiculous, Adrian. It's impossible. I won't allow it. Phoenix Wright, don't you even consider such a course of action, or it may be your last."

Phoenix stared at Adrian. "Ms. Andrews? You…you're the next most likely suspect?"

Adrian shrugged. "It does seem that way, I'm afraid."

"Ms. Andrews," clarified Edgeworth, "or, rather, the newest Mrs. von Karma is the only other person who would have had access to Franziska's whip during the night. The bridal suite was locked, and only those two were staying there. The two Mrs. von Karmas are also the two people who would have had the strongest motive to murder the woman who crashed their wedding."

Franziska and Adrian exchanged an uncomfortable sort of look, but neither of them said anything.

_Oh boy, _thought Phoenix, rubbing unhappily at the back of his neck and stifling a yawn. _This is exactly the kind of case I hate the most. Love affairs and murder…they always seem to go hand and hand. How the heck am I supposed to prove Franziska innocent without incriminating Adrian? I can't defend them both. _

"Well," muttered Phoenix aloud, "if you're both innocent, and I think I'm willing to accept that you are, then there has to be someone else who had access to the whip at some point during the night. If we can figure out who that person is, then we'll have a lead on who really committed the murder. I'll have to focus my defense on proving that third person guilty, as well as on defending Mrs. von Karma. I'll just need to be extra careful to make sure that I don't say anything that might end up looking bad for Adrian at the same time."

He plastered a confident sort of smile on his face as he said it, but on the inside he wasn't feeling so certain.

_That's a lot easier said than done, _he thought unhappily. _If I can't conclusively prove that someone else definitely did do it, then any proof of Franziska's innocence is going to end up looking like proof of Adrian's guilt. This is bad…really bad._

Maya, who had been sitting and groggily listening the whole time suddenly raised her hand and spoke up.

"Hey," she said, "I have a question. Mr. Edgeworth, who's gonna prosecute Ms. von Karma's trial?"

"Hmm?" Edgeworth frowned. "Well, I will, I suppose. As a matter of fact, I don't believe that there are any other prosecutors available for a trial tomorrow. It's been a very busy and criminal week in the city of Los Angeles."

"Great!" Maya clapped her hands together excitedly. "That's perfect!"

Edgeworth and Phoenix both stared at her.

"Ugh," muttered Maya, making a face at both of them. "You guys are both idiots."

"Agreed," murmured Franziska. "For once, we see eye to eye on something, Ms. Fey."

Maya ignored that. "Look, it's simple," she went on. "Nick, you defend Ms. von Karma, and if you get too close to incriminating Adrian, then Edgeworth will stop you before things get too out of hand! You guys can find the real culprit together, right? You just have to make sure to pay attention to each other so that nobody accidentally gets the wrong person declared guilty!"

"I…that is hardly what I would consider 'simple,' Maya," muttered Edgeworth miserably. "What you propose is…ethically dubious at best, and will be incredibly difficult to execute."

Phoenix shook his head. "She's right, though," he told Edgeworth. "It's the only way, and it's not like we've never done anything like this before."

Adrian suddenly smiled.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I remember you two being quite a good team, once upon a time. You did something similar during the second half of the Matt Engarde case, didn't you? I'll never forget that case. I think it renewed my faith in the justice system…and maybe in the integrity of my fellow man."

Edgeworth gave Adrian a little half-bow. "You're too kind," he murmured.

"Well, Miles?" Phoenix was still watching Edgeworth expectantly. "What do you say?"

Edgeworth dismissed that with an impatient hand. "I see no other options," he mumbled. "Obviously we shall have to go forward with this plan of yours, farfetched though it may seem. Between the two of us, no doubt we'll be able to find the real truth, although I'll admit that I don't relish the idea of playing this kind of a dangerous game with my sister's life."

Franziska batted her eyelashes sarcastically at him, and then snorted with disgust. "Oh, little Miles," she drawled. "I had no idea you cared so much."

Edgeworth glared at her.

"All right," announced Phoenix, getting to his feet. "I think we're done talking. Franziska, Adrian, you'd better go back to your hotel room and face the music. It'll only end up looking worse for both of you if the police think you're hiding or running away."

"A von Karma doesn't hide," snapped Franziska. "I have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm perfectly innocent…and so is my wife."

"He's right, though," reasoned Adrian. "Come on, Franziska. Let's go back."

She reached out for Franziska's hand, and Franziska brought the offered hand swiftly to her lips, then released it and stood up in one fluid motion.

"Very well," she said, turning on her heel and heading for the door. "Farwell for now, Phoenix Wright. Don't disappoint me in court tomorrow."

As Adrian and Franziska made for the door, Phoenix jerked his head at Edgeworth.

"We'd better get investigating," he said. "There's not a lot of time. We should go over to the hotel and check out the crime scene first, and then maybe Detective Gumshoe will have some useful things to tell us. If he's not still at the scene, then we'll probably find him at Criminal Affairs."

"Indeed." Edgeworth nodded, rose, and joined Phoenix by the door.

"Ms. von Karma," called Phoenix, just as Franziska was about to leave the apartment. "I'll find you at the Detention Center later. There are some things we'll need to talk about…like your relationship with this Bella Loggia."

Franziska curled her lip in displeasure, but said nothing.

"Wait," called Maya, jumping up. "Wait, Nick, Mr. Edgeworth! I'm coming, too!"

"What? Really?" Phoenix frowned at her. "But, Maya, you don't have to-!"

"Shut up," she told him, shaking her head. "I'm coming, and that's final. Hey, it'll be just like old times! Nick and Maya, the Wright and Co. team on a mission for great justice!"

Phoenix turned off the light, and as they all piled out of the apartment together, he sighed to himself.

_Just like old times, huh? _He chewed unhappily on his lip while Edgeworth and Franziska led the way past the elevator and towards the stairwell. _I don't know about that, Maya. I don't think we've ever had to defend two people at once, before. Why do I get the sense that this going to be a lot more complicated than most of our 'old times?'_

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **Yikes, I'm a little out of practice, and I'm typing on a new computer which isn't going as well as I'd hoped.

Please, I'd like your feedback on this one. How am I doing? Everything still making sense?

Also, please do check out **www . arimoriarty . com **for fanfiction updates, original stories, my tumblr and various other tidbits that you may or may not have any interest in.

Thanks all. Here's hoping I get to update again soon!


	30. Chapter Thirty

**Author's Note: **Oh dear lord. My friend and I have just started this new workout program…and it must be working, because I'm in so much muscle pain that I can't even get out of bed. Like, there's no way I'm standing up right now. I'm stuck here until I can move my legs again. Might as well write something.

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**Chapter Thirty**

**May 1, 2029**

**6:00 AM**

**The Criminal Affairs Department**

When Phoenix, Edgeworth, and Maya arrived at Bella Loggia's hotel room, the police investigation was in full swing. Detective Gumshoe, however, was nowhere to be found, and the various officers working in the room were too busy to bother with Phoenix. The presence of their Chief Prosecutor obviously made them nervous and uncomfortable, so Phoenix, Edgeworth and Maya abandoned the hotel room and headed over to the Criminal Affairs Department.

As expected, they found Gumshoe there waiting for them, seated alone at his desk in the middle of an otherwise empty room.

"Oh, hey, pal," said Gumshoe, getting up as Phoenix approached. "I figured you'd be along sooner or later."

He glanced over Phoenix's shoulder, saw Edgeworth, blinked, and frowned.

"Uh…Mr. Edgeworth, you're here too?" Gumshoe scratched uncomfortably at his head. "Oh, uh…I mean, of course you are."

Gumshoe shot a quick nervous look at Phoenix, and then back at Edgeworth, obviously uncertain how he was supposed to proceed.

"Detective," said Edgeworth, "I hereby authorize you to provide Mr. Wright with any information he requires concerning the ongoing investigation into the murder of Ms. Bella Loggia."

Gumshoe let out a long sigh of relief, and started to grin. "Yeah. Good. I'd hoped you'd say something like that. I mean, I know you're the Chief Prosecutor and all, Mr. Edgeworth, but she's your own sister, sorta, and so-!"

"The facts, Detective," snapped Edgeworth, bringing Gumshoe immediately to a feeble attempt at attention. "This is no time for idle chatter."

"R-right," mumbled Gumshoe. "Okay, well…honestly, Mr. Wright, there's not that much I can give you, just yet. What we do know is that the murder was committed with Ms. von Karma's whip, just like we thought. The victim was strangled to death with the whip chord, and she'd only been dead for maybe half an hour when we showed up. The murder must have happened between one and two o'clock in the morning, and that's around the same time that this guy in the next room said he heard screams and door slams, so it all adds up."

"Right." Phoenix nodded. "I hesitate to ask, but did you find any fingerprints on the whip? Any fingerprints other than Franziska's, I mean?"

"Nope." Gumshoe shook his head. "As a matter of fact, we didn't find Ms. von Karma's fingerprints on the whip either. The thing was totally clean."

"Hey!" Maya's eyes lit up." Hey, Nick, that's a good thing, isn't it? They didn't find Ms. von Karma's fingerprints!"

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix, chewing thoughtfully on his lip. "Yeah, we might be on to something, there. If there weren't any fingerprints on the whip, then that means that whoever used it to strangle Ms. Loggia either wiped it, or was wearing gloves. Franziska wouldn't have had any reason to wipe fingerprints off of her own whip. There's nothing suspicious about finding someone's fingerprints on their own property. Whoever committed the murder didn't want his or her fingerprints found on the whip, probably because those fingerprints wouldn't normally have belonged there, and would have been incriminating. That's a step in the right direction, at least."

Edgeworth cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid," he said apologetically, "that this business of the fingerprints isn't going to lead us anywhere. If you'll recall, Wright, my sister regularly wears gloves in public, as a safety measure to protect her hands when using that same whip. Last night at the party, she was wearing black evening gloves. It is unlikely, therefore, that her fingerprints would have been on the whip at all, last night or at any other time. The lack of fingerprints proves nothing, either for or against Franziska."

Phoenix's heart sank a little bit.

"You're right," he mumbled, "I...hadn't thought about that. Okay, well, then what do we know about the victim? Maybe Ms. Loggia had some enemy other than Franziska, who just happened to choose Franziska's wedding night to go in for the kill."

"Uh, I sorta doubt it, pal," replied Gumshoe, looking glum. "See, this Bella Loggia…she's a foreigner, as I guess you already figured out. Actually, she's lived in a bunch of different places, but for the last five years it looks like she's been a legal citizen of Borginia. According to her passport, she hasn't been anywhere near the USA since she declared Borginian citizenship, so if there's anybody here who has a grudge against her, we don't know about it."

_Except, _thought Phoenix unhappily, _for Franziska von Karma, that is. It sure looked last night like the two of them had some kind of nasty history together. What was it that Franziska said? Something about how it had been 'eight years' since the two of them had seen each other? So, then they knew each other before Ms. Loggia declared citizenship in Borginia. I'll have to ask Franziska for some more details about that, later. Ugh…honestly, I'm really not looking forward to that conversation. _

"Uh, there's one more thing you two should know," Gumshoe was saying, shifting uncomfortably on his feet and still trying to figure out if he should be focusing his attention on Phoenix or Edgeworth. "Looks like we've got a witness for tomorrow's trial, and you're never gonna believe who it is."

"A witness?" Maya sighed. "How come we never get the easy ones, Nick?"

_Good question, _thought Phoenix.

"So, Detective," he asked, "who is this 'witness?'"

"Uh…well, his name's Mr. Jedediah Andrews," replied Gumshoe. "He's, uh, Mrs. Adrian von Karma's father."

Phoenix stared.

"WHAT?" Edgeworth looked shocked. "You…you can't be serious. Ms. Andrews' own father? It's impossible. A man cannot be forced to testify against his own family, and by virtue of last night's ceremony, Mr. Andrews are my sister now have legal, familial ties. His testimony can therefore not be compelled."

"Yeah," agreed Gumshoe, "I know, and I told him that, but…Mr. Edgeworth, nobody's forcing this guy to testify. He's the one who suggested it. Mr. Andrews is all fired up to give evidence against Ms. von Karma. He keeps saying stuff like, 'as a father, I could never allow my daughter to remain married to a murderer,' and' for Adrian's sake, justice must be served,' and other things like that. He's a little, uh…well, I don't like him much, let's put it that way. Something about him gives me the creeps. He kinda reminds me of the pastor at the church I used to go to with my Mom as a kid…he's got those crazy eyes."

Phoenix tried to remember the brief glimpse he'd gotten of Mr. Jedediah Andrews, looking insignificant and slightly frightened next to the majestic, be-gowned form of Franziska von Karma at the wedding ceremony.

_I don't remember him having crazy eyes, _he thought. _Still, if Mr. Andrews thinks that Franziska's a murderer, I can understand him wanting to protect his daughter. I wonder if Adrian knows about this? Ugh, maybe I should tell her. Otherwise, it's going to be a nasty shock for her at the trial tomorrow…_

"Sorry, pal," Gumshoe was saying, "but that's all I've got. Uh…I guess it didn't help too much."

He offered Phoenix a copy of the autopsy report, which Phoenix absentmindedly accepted and pocketed, still thinking about Adrian's father.

"Thanks, Gumshoe," said Phoenix aloud, through and around his unpleasant thoughts. "I appreciate the help. I, uh, I'm sure we can make something out of this. Don't worry."

He didn't sound convincing, and Gumshoe didn't look convinced.

"If you say so," muttered Gumshoe. "I'd better be getting back to the investigation. If we find anything else out, I'll you both know as soon as possible. Um...if you don't mind my asking, how's Ms. von Karma doing?"

"She's perfectly fine," said Edgeworth. "Franziska is hardly one to quail in the face of danger. She doesn't even seem to be taking the murder charge seriously….not that I'm terribly surprised."

"Yeah, that sounds like our Ms. von Karma all right." Gumshoe laughed a little nervously. "Oh boy, is she gonna be mad when she gets out of detention, though. I'll be expecting a pretty good whipping when they let her loose. Oh, well. Good luck, pal."

With that, Gumshoe headed for the door. Edgeworth spent a moment staring thoughtfully after him after he'd gone, before returning his attention to Phoenix.

"I believe," said Edgeworth, "that was the good Detective's slightly awkward way of saying that he's confident you'll get Franziska acquitted."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "Well…thanks, Gumshoe. That makes one of us, at least."

"Nick," suggested Maya, "let's go to the detention center. I want to know more about Ms. Loggia and her relationship with Ms. von Karma."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow at her. "You're really that enthusiastic about quizzing Franziska von Karma about her love life? Wow, Maya. I'm kind of impressed."

Maya just shrugged. "Oh, I'm not worried. You're gonna be the one asking the questions, so if Ms. von Karma gets mad, she'll get mad at you, not at me."

_Oh, _thought Phoenix, sighing to himself. _Right. Good point._

"I believe in you, Nick." Maya beamed innocently up at him. "You can take her!"

"In that case," suggested Edgeworth, "while you two are occupied at the detention center, I'll return to the Gatewater hotel. I'd like to find out a bit more from Mr. Andrews about exactly what he heard and saw last night, and what he intends to say in court tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah?" Phoenix frowned. "You think he's going to tell you?"

Edgeworth shrugged. "Certainly. Why wouldn't he? I am, after all, the prosecuting attorney. I'm on his side, if you care to look at it that way."

_Oh, _thought Phoenix for the second time. _Right, yeah. Must be nice…something tells me that I'd have a lot harder of a time getting anything out of him. _

"I will, of course," said Edgeworth, a bit more quietly, "speak to Mrs. Adrian von Karma as well. No doubt she's worried about her wife, and it would be best, I think, if she heard the news about her father from me before the trial tomorrow…assuming that she doesn't already know, of course."

Phoenix flashed him a quick, grateful little smile. "Good call," he agreed. "Okay, then, Miles. Maya and I will head over to the hotel after we're done at the detention center."

"Very good." Edgeworth nodded. "I'll see you in a few hours, then. I wish you both the best of luck with my sister."

As Edgeworth turned to leave, Phoenix sighed and yawned, the excitement of the last couple of hours and the subsequent lack of sleep finally beginning to catch up with him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Maya frowned at him.

"Yeah," said Phoenix. "Yeah, I'm fine. This just wasn't what I was expecting to do, today. If I'd known I was going to be caught up in another murder case, I'd have headed home early from the wedding. I'm getting too old to stay out partying all night and then show up for work the next morning, that's all."

"You're just nervous about talking to Ms. von Karma," Maya chided him. "Come on, we've faced her in a lot of worse cases! She's stuck behind bars, and she doesn't even have her whip, right? How bad can it possibly be?"

Phoenix snorted a derisive little laugh. "Are you kidding? We're stuck in the middle of a locked-room murder mystery where the father of the bride is serving as the chief witness for the prosecution….against the other bride! How much worse could it possibly get?"

Even as he said the words, Phoenix knew it had been a mistake.

"Oh come on," said Maya, giving him a friendly clap on the shoulder and doing her best to look confident and unconcerned. "Hey, it could always get worse!"

_Please, Maya, _thought Phoenix miserably as they made their way out of the Criminal Affairs department, _please don't try to cheer me up any more._

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **Yay for another update! I'm getting back in the swing of this. I still can't seem to figure out how to make my computer w ork properly, though. The text on the screen keeps changing size…I can't make it stop doing that. Oh dear. I should have just refurbished an old model instead of getting a brand new one…how does Windows 8 work?

As always, please check out **www . arimoriarty . com** for life, fiction, and fanfiction updates!


	31. Chapter Thirty One

**Author's Note: **Okay, I think I actually may have hurt myself. I need to remember that, much as I love going to the gym, I cannot always work out like other people. I've got massive injuries in my chest, hip and back. It might be a week before I can go back to the gym…and that's assuming I don't have to go to the doctor. Ugh. This sucks.

Oh well. At least I've got time to write another chapter.

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**Chapter Thirty One**

**May 1, 2029**

**9:00 AM**

**The Gatewater Hotel**

After leaving Phoenix and Maya at the Criminal Affairs Department, Edgeworth drove back to the Gatewater Hotel and climbed the stairs to the seventh floor. There were still several policemen and a lot of yellow police tape drawing attention to the room where the crime had occurred. Several hotel guests were now clustered together several feet away, watching the police proceedings and whispering excitedly to each other while one poor, beleaguered policewoman did her best to keep them all at bay.

Edgeworth made his way around all of the commotion and down the hall, where he found the door to room 723 standing wide open.

_I'm reasonably certain that this was the room Franziska mentioned, _he thought, clearing his throat aggressively and knocking a few times on the back of the open door.

"Hello? Oh…it's you, Mr. Edgeworth." Adrian appeared in the doorway, looking exhausted, but composed. "Please, come in."

Edgeworth hadn't been expecting to find Adrian here, and for a moment he hesitated, feeling a little awkward.

"Er…yes, thank you, Mrs. von Karma," he muttered, stepping into the room and pulling the door shut behind him. "I…how are you feeling?"

It was a clumsy question that would have made Phoenix roll his eyes, Edgeworth thought, but Adrian just gave him her best attempt at a tired little appreciative smile.

"I'll be all right," she assured him. "Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth. It's Franziska that I'm really worried about. She made me promise that I wouldn't come and try to see her, and of course I'll be true to my word, but…" She shrugged. "It's difficult."

_Friends, _thought Edgeworth, remembering something that Phoenix had said, _call each other by their first names._

"Ahem…Mrs. von Karma," he mumbled, "if you like, you may call me…Miles." He winced a little, the word feeling awkward and foreign in his mouth. "After all, you are my sister, now. A certain level of familiarity is to be expected."

Adrian looked surprised, then slowly started to smile a real, genuinely quite lovely smile.

"All right," she agreed. "But only if you stop calling me 'Mrs. von Karma.' Adrian is perfectly fine…Miles."

"Er…very well." Edgeworth nodded peremptorily, feeling that it was now time to change the subject. "In that case, Mrs. vo- ah, I mean, Adrian, I'm sorry to have intruded on you like this. I'm looking for your father, Mr. Jedediah Andrews. There…was some business I wished to discuss with him."

He wondered for a moment what sort of an excuse he could use to explain what he was doing in Mr. Andrews' room without giving Adrian herself too much cause for alarm. Adrian, however, saved him the trouble.

"It's all right," she assured him. "I already know about my father's proposed testimony. I…well, honestly, I can't believe it. He's known Franziska for years, and he should know better than anyone that she'd never be capable of something like this. Honestly, I'm appalled, but I haven't had any luck in trying to talk him out of it."

For just a moment, Adrian's face twitched, and she lost a little bit of that cool, collected demeanor that she was so well known for.

"I understand your feelings," murmured Edgeworth, "but if you'll permit an observation, I think I can understand a little bit of what your father feels as well. He's concerned about your well-being, of course, and that perceived threat against his daughter's life is no doubt rendering him more vindictive than he would otherwise have been. When the life or livelihood of someone you love is in the balance, everything becomes…complicated, and your judgment becomes clouded."

Slowly, Adrian nodded. "Yes…yes, I'm sure you're right, of course." Frowning to herself, she suddenly glanced up at him again. "Mr. Edgeworth, is that how you feel about your sister?"

_Franziska? _Edgeworth frowned to himself. _Well, certainly. She is the closest thing to a family member that I have had for almost twenty years. Certainly, we have had our differences, but…yes, I suppose I am rather protective of her. She's foolish, in many ways, and naïve in many others. She's more fragile than she wants people to know. I do feel a certain responsibility…if I didn't, I don't suppose I would be here, now, investigating this case in such an unorthodox way. _

"Yes," he murmured. "Of course…I care about her very much."

Adrian nodded. "And," she went on, "about Mr. Wright?"

That took Edgeworth by surprise, and he shot a quick, startled look at Adrian, who didn't bat an eyelash. He could feel his face starting to flush, and he quickly averted his eyes from Adrian's face, wondering how on Earth she knew, and inwardly cursing his beloved sister for being so apparently indiscreet.

"Y-your father," he managed, doing his best to regain his composure as quickly as he could. "I need to speak with him about the case. Is he-?"

"Oh, I don't think he'll have anything to say to you," interrupted Adrian. "I'm sorry, but Daddy has assured me that he isn't going to talk to anyone about the case until the trial tomorrow."

"What?" Edgeworth blinked. "But, I'm the prosecuting attorney. In order to create the best possible case against Franziska, it's necessary that I prepare any witnesses who are planning to give testimony at the trial."

"I understand that, of course," Adrian assured him, "but you see…forgive me, Mr. Edgeworth, but Daddy doesn't trust you. He knows that you're Franziska's brother, of course."

_Hmph, _thought Edgeworth. _Well, I suppose I can't blame him for that. After all, he's not entirely wrong. I've spent the morning doing everything I can to assist the defense in this case. Maybe I really can't be trusted. _

"I…see," he said aloud, nodding. "Your father does realize, of course, that as the prosecution, I may choose not to call him to the witness stand?"

Adrian shook her head. "But you won't do that, will you, Mr. Edgeworth? You're one of the most honest and honorable prosecutors there is. You'll do everything you can to prosecute this trial as fairly as possible…which includes allowing the testimony of any potential witnesses who might shed light on the case. I know you."

_Yes, _thought Edgeworth, _You're right, of course. You may know me, but your father doesn't. What sort of game is he playing, exactly? _

"If you think it would help," Adrian went on, "I can tell you a little bit about what Daddy claims he saw last night."

"Yes," agreed Edgeworth hastily, "that would certainly be a step in the right direction."

"All right." Adrian frowned in thought for a moment, as though doing her best to remember. "In that case, Daddy says that he woke up around one o'clock in the morning. He's a light sleeper, so he often gets up in the middle of the night when he hears little noises. This time, though, he says that he heard screaming and what sounded like something banging…maybe a door slamming shut. He got out of bed, opened the door, and looked out to see what was going on."

Adrian suddenly paused in the middle of her speech, frowned, and went silent for a moment.

"Yes," Edgeworth prompted her. "And, when he looked out into the hallway, what did your father see?"

Adrian opened her mouth, then shook her head, closed it again, and sighed.

"Well…that's just it," she said. "He can't possibly have seen what he thinks he saw."

"Well," insisted Edgeworth, trying not to let himself get impatient. "What is it that he says he saw?"

Adrian took a deep breath. "He says," she explained, "that he saw Franziska disappearing into the stairwell. He says he couldn't see her face, but that he saw the wedding ring on her hand, and since it's a very unusual sort of stone, cut like a star, that he knew it had to be her. We picked the rings out together, from a little-known jeweler in Germany. Our rings are the only two that look like that in the whole world…so he says there's no doubt that it must have been Franziska."

Edgeworth tried to remember what the wedding rings had looked like. He honestly hadn't paid very much attention to them during the ceremony. They had certainly been very big and shiny, obvious evidence of Franziska's slightly too-showy taste.

"But you see," Adrian was saying, "that's impossible. Franziska never left the room last night…not even once!"

"Oh?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "And you're certain of that?"

Adrian nodded emphatically. "Absolutely. She wouldn't have been able to, she-!"

Suddenly, Adrian stopped again, looking unsure.

"Oh," she murmured, "nevermind. I…I don't think she would have wanted me to tell you about that."

For a moment, Edgeworth was horribly certain that Adrian had been about to describe some moment of physical intimacy between the two newlyweds. Adrian, however, didn't look embarrassed or ashamed. She seemed as calm and unruffled as ever.

"I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head, "But if you want to know more about that, I think you'd better ask Franziska herself. I promised her I'd never talk about that…and I make a point of keeping my promises."

"Very well," muttered Edgeworth. "Perhaps I'll ask her."

_Franziska, _he thought, frustrated, _what on earth have you been doing, keeping secrets like this? This is hardly the time to be holding back…I certainly hope that you're more forthcoming with Wright than your loyal little wife has been with me, for your sake.. _

**Meanwhile, at the detention center…**

"Tch," spat Franziska, waving a dismissive hand at Phoenix and Maya through the glass partition that stood between them. "I've said it before, Mr. Phoenix Wright, and I will say it only once more. That woman was nothing to me…absolutely nothing. A mere trifling pleasure that I experienced many years ago. I'd forgotten about her entirely until she was ill-mannered enough to show up at my wedding."

Phoenix sighed. They'd been at this for a while already, and he was getting a little tired of Franziska's grandiose attitude.

"Jeez," whispered Maya. "I feel kind of bad for Ms. Loggia. I mean, isn't it a little harsh for Mrs. von Karma to say she was 'nothing?' Obviously they must have cared about each other a lot, at some point. Right? I mean, they were in love, so-!"

_You and Pearls, _thought Phoenix, _both have some weird ideas about love. I thought you'd be a little more mature about it than Pearls, though. I'm pretty sure that Franziska's telling us the truth, Maya. She was never 'in love' with Ms. Loggia. They just slept together a few times. There's really nothing weird about it, although I'll admit that Franziska is being a little harsh. Obviously Ms. Loggia had stronger feelings…otherwise she'd never have come to the wedding._

"So," he said aloud, "just to make sure I have it all straight – you met Bella Loggia eight years ago in Germany."

"Yes," agreed Franziska. "You seem to have retained at least a little of what I've been saying. I met Bella at a dinner party held by one of my father's former associates. She was hanging on this man's arm, fluttering her eyelashes and playing the shameless coquette, paying him a great deal of flattering attention. He seemed quite taken with her, but her little game didn't fool for me for a moment. I had seen pictures of her before, in various reports and papers during my travels abroad. She was a well-known con artist, renowned for tricking men into marrying her, and for then absconding with their hearts and all of their money."

"So," interrupted Phoenix, "you reported her to the local police, right?"

Franziska scoffed at him. "Certainly not," she declared. "You forget, Mr. Phoenix Wright, that I am not my soft-hearted, weak-minded little brother. The greater good is of little interest to me. I have no desire to follow criminals around the globe, hunting them down and reporting them for my amusement. Quite honestly, I was impressed by this woman's cunning, and her extensive track record of successes. If the men she ensnared were foolish enough to fall for her game, then they deserved what they got. I struck up an acquaintance with her, and when she'd grown weary of my father's associate, we took a brief vacation together, away from her work and mine. We spent about a week in a friend's vacation home in France….a week which I believe we both very much enjoyed." She smiled like a cat who'd just finished digesting a delicious bird. "It served as an excellent respite from the stressful nature of real life…and then I left both her and France behind, and returned to my father's estate. At that time I was an incredibly busy woman, well known in my own country and frequently called upon to prosecute high-profile cases. I had no time to deal with trivial financial affairs, and so I began looking to hire someone who might be able to manage such things for me. It was then that I…encountered Adrian for the second time."

For just a moment, Franziska's eyes softened.

"After that," she said simply and much more quietly, "there was no one else. Never again."

"Oh," whispered Maya. "That's…that's actually kind of romantic."

Phoenix cleared his throat. "Uh, and so you never saw Ms. Loggia again?"

"That's correct," said Franziska. "Not until last evening. I had no desire to see her."

Phoenix breathed out a long sigh. "Well…thank you, Ms. von Karma. No, sorry – Mrs. von Karma. This may not have been fun for you, but it was actually very helpful. Now we know that a lot of people would have had good reason to harbor ill will against Ms. Loggia. She was a con artist who stole millions from many. She may have been murdered by one of her former victims."

"Possibly," murmured Franziska, shrugging. "However, you will find that difficult to prove."

_Yeah, _thought Phoenix. _I know. I still don't have any idea how anybody but Franziska or Adrian could have committed the murder. Until I find some evidence of a third suspect, no amount of speculation is gonna save us, no matter how many people out there might have wanted Bella Loggia dead. _

"You look tired, Phoenix Wright," remarked Franziska. "Your stamina is decreasing in your old age, no doubt."

"I'm only thirty five," muttered Phoenix.

"Perhaps you'd better go and take a nap," suggested Franziska acidly. "You'll be no use to me in court tomorrow if you're too tired to fight."

Phoenix gritted his teeth.

"You know," he said. "I don't mean to sound gloomy, or anything, but you don't seem to realize that you're in a lot of danger, Mrs. von Karma. You're going to be on trial for murder, tomorrow, yet you don't seem worried at all."

Franziska just shrugged. "I have nothing to worry about. No concrete case can be made against me. It is completely impossible that I could have committed the murder, and therefore no doubt even you will be able to prove my innocence."

"Impossible?" Phoenix frowned. "Why is it impossible?"

Franziska opened her mouth to respond, then paused, frowned, and bit down hard on her lip.

"That is for you to prove, defense attorney," she snapped at him. "I am finished with questions for today. This case should be simple for you to solve, if you have even a grain of the competence that my brother credits you with."

Maya shot Franziska a defiant look. "Nick's more than competent! He's the best there is! You're just lucky he was even willing to take your case!"

_Thanks, Maya, _thought Phoenix. _Honestly, I'm starting to regret that I did take it…although I guess there's no point in thinking like that, now. _

"I will see you in court tomorrow, Mr. Phoenix Wright," said Franziska.

Without another word, she turned and left the visitor's room, leaving Maya and Phoenix alone in the detention center, except for the ever-present guard, who always seemed to just look incredibly bored.

"What do you think, Nick?" Maya was frowning at him. "Do we have a case?"

Phoenix shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Honestly, we don't have much. Still, it's not like we've never dealt with cases like this before. We'll just have to go in there tomorrow with our heads held high and hope that the witness testimony gives us a little more to work with. And, hey, maybe Edgeworth's had more luck than we have. After all, he's the prosecutor. People are more likely to want to talk to him and to give him information. He's probably got everything all sewn up by now."

Maya perked up a little bit. "Yeah," she agreed, "you're right! It's nice to finally be working with Mr. Edgeworth instead of against him, isn't it? Teamwork's actualy pretty great!"

As they left the detention center together, Phoenix yawned again, then tried to stifle it.

_I trust you, Edgeworth, _he thought. _Come on, don't let me down. _

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note:**

All right, too much pain. I'm going to lie down for a bit.


End file.
